Harry Potter and the Red Dawn Guardians
by PeinSaku
Summary: Who ever knew that protecting some kid with glasses and a lightning bolt scar from Orochimaru and another snake-affiliated freak would be so hard? Throw in the unwanted attention of a certain Uchiha, and you've got yourself a recipe for disaster. Akatsuki no Sakura. ItaSaku. Prequel to Just Because.
1. Being a Wizard is Too Damn Hard

This is the last new story I'm going to put up before I finish my other two. Please review; you don't even have to log in or have an account. I mean, is it so hard to just write 'continue soon' or something like that? :D

This story will eventually have romance, but it will be in WAY later chapters. For now, all readers can vote on who they want to be paired with Sakura. It can be anyone in Akatsuki or any of the characters from Harry Potter.

You all KNOW I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter...either that or you need to go see a doctor, so I'm not going to bother with a disclaimer.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was awoken by a loud banging on her door. She groaned and raised her head, glaring angrily at the door. She let out a low growl and dragged herself out of bed when the banging didn't stop. She trudged across the floor, dragging her feet, and yanked the door open viciously, making the man stop mid-knock.

"What?!?" she snapped. He stared wide-eyed at the furious kuniochi and then his blue eyes traveled to her hair. It looked like something pink and rotten had died on her head.

"Um…Leader wants you…yeah…," he said awkwardly.

"For _what_?!?" Sakura hissed. He shifted his feet awkwardly, the pink-haired girl scaring him.

"A mission, yeah."

Oo o oO

Sakura sighed as she recalled what Madara and her Leader, Pein, had told her…er, them. She couldn't believe it. She, Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara were to go on a mission. A year-long mission. Not to mention, it was in a different dimension. Now she, Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara stood in Madara's office--who was accompanied by Pein and Konan--mulling over the details of their mission.

_"Stay quiet until I finish," Madara ordered as Deidara opened his mouth. "No questions until the end. I was just recently contacted by a man that I have known for a long time known as Albus Dumbledore. He is the headmaster, or leader, of a school known as Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. QUIET," he added when Deidara's mouth opened again. "They practice magic. No, Deidara, this is not a scam OR a sorry attempt at a joke. Magic is real. In their dimension, at least. Their 'magic' is simply a weaker form of ancient chakra that is required to be focused by special sticks called 'wands'. Witches and wizards do not know of our existence, just as ninja and shinobi do not know of them. Dumbledore happened to stumble across a rift in our dimension enclosure fabrics and a mishap in the materials of our universes sucked him in, sending him a mere twenty miles from where I was located. In their world, they speak a different language, a strange language. And apparently, our language is the same as one of the many from their world. Dumbledore suggested that our dimension could have been created simply by pure accident and that nomads from a country known as 'Japan' may have traveled here and spread their language._

_"However, back to the subject. I have a mission for the four of you. Another wizard known as Voldemort also found the rift and came into contact with Orochimaru." They all stiffened at the sound of his name. "They made an agreement and now Orochimaru has traveled to their world to assist in Voldemort's plans to take over the world and assassinate a young boy named Harry Potter." Sakura glared at nothing in particular. It was just like Orochi-'I like to touch little boys'-maru to do something like that._

_"So…we're supposed to protect this 'Harry Potter'?" Sakura guessed. An amused smirk flashed on Madara's expression._

_"Very good, Sakura," he said. "Yes. You four are to guard Harry Potter and, if the chance reveals itself, kill Voldemort and Orochimaru. But not only that. You four will be attending Hogwarts and going undercover as students. The teachers and Dumbledore will know your identities, obviously, but the students will not. When this briefing is over, you will all four take hold of a headband that has a spell cast on it and you will be transported to Dumbledore's world. He will meet you on a street and perform a 'spell' on you all so that you will be able to understand and read in his language. Then, he will take it from there. Understood?"_

The four looked at each other. When none of them objected, Madara nodded.

"Very well," he said. "Touch this headband and you will be on your way." He pulled out a Kusagakure headband and they all stared at it.

"Madara-sama…where did you get that headband, yeah?" Deidara asked, voicing all their thoughts.

"Zetsu picked it up after disposing of a patrol of Kusa ANBU." The four were quiet.

**_Does Zetsu have to eat _everything_?!?_** Inner Sakura wondered, frowning.

_Apparently so._

The four Akatsuki members, after a brief moment of hesitation, touched the headband. There was a pull at their navels, and then they suddenly disappeared into thin air.

Sakura felt herself spinning rapidly through the air, the wind whipping her chest-length pale pink hair violently in her face. Itachi's hair smacked Kisame in the face, who was also being hit by Deidara's long hair.

"Wh-aa-at ih-is th-is thi-ih-ng?!?" Kisame screamed, the hair that kept covering his mouth and the banging of his shoulders against Itachi and Deidara making his words come out strangely.

"I don't know!" Sakura yelled.

"When the hell will this thing stop, yeah?!?" Deidara screeched.

"We have to let go," Itachi called, having to raise his usually-quiet voice so that the others could hear.

"But we might die!" Kisame objected, successfully managing to get the hair out of his face for a couple seconds before it smacked him again.

"If we let go-" Sakura was suddenly cut off as they were all repelled from the Kusa headband.

The four Akatsuki spiraled down towards the ground and landed roughly on a hard stone street. Deidara and Kisame groaned and Sakura rolled onto her back, letting out a gasp of breath. Itachi grunted, closing his eyes. Sakura coughed, her mint-green eyes still closed.

"Never. Again," she moaned. Kisame and Deidara uttered mumbles of agreement and Itachi just 'hn'ed quietly.

Sakura's eyes flickered open at a strange sound and found a pair of twinkling blue eyes sheathed by half-moon spectacles. The man had long white hair and a long white beard. His mouth opened and strange noises came out. Confusion shone on her face and she nudged Itachi. Itachi opened his eyes as well--his sharingan deactivated--and he saw what Sakura was trying to show him. Kisame and Deidara glanced up at him as well.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked.

The man smiled as though he had confirmed something and murmured a couple strange words. He held up a stick--a 'wand' Sakura realized--and a pale blue light hit them all dead in the forehead. Sakura gasped and Deidara yelped.

"What the hell was that?!?" Kisame demanded. Sakura, Deidara, and Itachi looked at him in surprise when his words sounded different, but they could still understand him.

"Are you…are you Dumbledore?" Sakura asked carefully, her eyebrows furrowing when she found that she spoke a different language as well.

"Yes, indeed I am," the man chuckled. Her eyes widened. They could understand him now, too. "I suppose that you four were sent by Mr. Madara?" Sakura nodded as the four of them stood up.

"He said that you would explain how we are to go undercover," Itachi spoke up. Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course," Dumbledore said with warm eyes. "But first, may I know the names of the four who were sent to assist me?"

"I'm Haru-er…Sakura Haruno," Sakura replied, frowning as she realized that Dumbledore wouldn't say her last name first from the way Madara had said his name. The other three followed her example.

"Itachi Uchiha," Itachi murmured smoothly, his voice quiet and calm.

"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki," said the shark-man, grinning widely, which revealed his razor-sharp teeth. "Nice to meet you." Dumbledore nodded, still smiling.

"And I'm Deidara, yeah," the blond-haired man finished. Dumbledore's smile twitched with a slight edge of curious confusion.

"Do you not have a last name?" he asked. Deidara shook his head, looking away.

"Kisame," Sakura murmured shooting him a sharp glance. "Use a henge. People are staring." Kisame blinked. People _were_ staring. But, seriously. Who _wouldn't_ stare at the six-foot-tall blue-skinned shark man wearing weird clothes?

"Er…right," he mumbled. The blue-skinned shinobi put his hands together to form the tiger hand seal and a cloud of smoke enveloped him with a 'poof'. The smoke cleared to reveal…

…Kisame who looked exactly the same. Except now he had regular-colored skin and no gills. He still had the creepy eyes, blue-gray hair, monstrous height, and razor-sharp teeth. His sword was sealed in a summoning scroll.

"Better?" he grumbled. Sakura rolled her eyes.

Dumbledore smiled again. "Ah. Yes. We need to get the four of you supplies for your classes." Kisame and Deidara groaned.

"I flunked outta school twice," Kisame muttered. "Why do I have to do it again?" Deidara snickered and Sakura bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Kisame, how can you fail school _twice_?!?" Sakura asked in amusement. He shot her a withering look.

"I stunk at genjutsu and all that brainy crap, alright?" he grumbled. Deidara fell into full-blown laughter and Kisame glared at him. "Shut it, you retarded clay he-she! At least _I'm _still straight!" Deidara's laughter was suddenly gone and he scowled at the shark-man.

"I'm not a he-she, yeah!" he yelled.

"Would you two _cut it out_?!?" Sakura hissed, clocking both of them on the back of their heads and leaving giant bumps.

"Ow!" they both whined, grabbing their heads. At Sakura's glare, they fell silent. Itachi felt the urge to roll his eyes.

"Dumbledore-sama, could you take us around to get everything we need?" Sakura asked. "We have no idea where we are." Dumbledore smiled.

"Why, of course, dear," he said kindly. "Just come with me."

Itachi and Sakura instantly followed the Kisame-height wizard, said shark man and Deidara following at a slower pace as they glanced around the street in fascination.

"Hey!" Kisame called. "Dumble-…er…" _Aw, hell. I forgot his name. _"When does this, uh, 'spell' thingy wear off?" The old wizard let out a quiet chuckle.

"The spell won't wear off until I remove it, my dear boy," he replied. At the sight of Kisame's horror-struck face, he laughed again. "You should still be able to speak in your native language." Deidara blinked. He decided to test it out.

_"We can, yeah?"_ he asked, moving his mouth in a familiar way. His words were Japanese. Dumbledore nodded, taking a guess as to what he said, with his smile still in place.

_"Well that's good," _Sakura said, relieved to find that she, too, remembered how to speak her original language. "Now we can talk to each other without having to worry about a student overhearing something they don't need to know," she continued in English. Itachi nodded in agreement.

_"Hn."_

"Ah. Here we are," Dumbledore said, stopping in front of a shop.

It was a narrow, shabby shop with peeling gold letters over the door that read** Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.**

"First, you will all need wands." Suspicion crept into Itachi's expression. Apparently, Dumbledore could tell, because he laughed again. "I suppose Mr. Madara told the four of you of our magic and how it relates to your 'chakra', correct?" They all nodded. "The two of us discovered something marvelous. If you can manage to manipulate your chakra into a wand and murmur the correct name for it, you can perform one of your…'jutsu', is it?"

"Wow," Sakura breathed in surprise. "That's actually very logical, seeing as your magic and our chakra is closely tied together. If you are able to, why not us?" Dumbledore smiled and nodded.

_**Jeez. Doesn't his face hurt from smiling so much?**_ Inner Sakura muttered, crossing her arms.

_Quiet, you._

"Come along," he murmured, opening the door for them.

Sakura, Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara walked inside the shop, followed by Dumbledore. A bell rang out on the door as it opened and closed.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. The shinobi, sensing him approach before they heard him, found no surprise whatsoever when an old man with pale eyes appeared before them.

"Ah. Good afternoon, Mr. Ollivander," Dumbledore greeted.

"Oh! Professor Dumbledore," Ollivander said in surprise. "It's so nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"

"This year at Hogwarts, we are practicing a new program," Dumbledore explained, having already come up with an excuse. Sakura and Itachi listened carefully, incase they had to use it as well. Kisame and Deidara, on the other hand, were looking around in amazement at the small shop. "We have welcomed four exchange students from a witchcraft and wizardry school in Japan to Hogwarts in an attempt to get our students to converse with one another."

"I see," Ollivander said thoughtfully. "Then are these the exchange students?" He glanced over the counter at the four Akatsuki and Dumbledore nodded. "And do they happen to need wands?" Dumbledore smiled and nodded again. "Very well, then. First up, the young…blue-haired fellow."

Kisame grinned and stepped forward.

"Here," Ollivander said. "Which is your wand arm?" A question mark practically appeared above Kisame's head.

"Eh…?" was his genius answer.

_"What hand do you write with?"_ Sakura hissed in Japanese.

"Oh!" Kisame said, grinning impishly. "Uh, my right."

"Hold out your arm," Ollivander instructed.

Kisame held out his ridiculously long arm and Ollivander whisked out a tape measure from thin air. He measured Kisame from shoulder to finger, wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit, and around his head. Kisame blinked, trying his best not to squirm and get caught in the tape measure.

They all watched as Ollivander strode away to the back, picking through the boxes in the cubby holes, while the tape measure continued to randomly measure Kisame.

"Right, then," he called, walking back with a slender black box in hand. "This one should do. Oak and dragon heartstring. Nine and a half inches. Stiff and controlled." Kisame stared blankly at the wand as it sat in the black box. "Well take it," he said. "Give it a wave."

Kisame took the wand carefully out of its box and stared at it for a second before waving it slightly, applying a slight amount of chakra. A mirror shattered next to Deidara and the blond yelped.

"No, not this one," Ollivander murmured, taking the wand back. He reappeared a moment later with another one. "Birch and dragon heartstring. Eleven inches. Strong and powerful."

After a minute, Kisame took the wand and waved it. The light crashed down from the ceiling, also nearly hitting Deidara. The blond turned on him in irritation.

_"What's your deal, yeah?!?" _he yelled. _"Why the hell do you keep aiming for me, yeah?!?"_

"Sorry," Kisame muttered, apologizing to both Deidara and Ollivander as he handed the wand back.

The old man took the wand and came back with another.

"Beechwood and unicorn hair. Eleven inches. Light and stable."

Kisame took the wand. No sooner than the wand touched his hand, bright blue sparks shot out of the end and swirled around him like a crackling fireworks tornado. Kisame was startled, to say the least. Deidara's jaw dropped and Sakura's eyes widened.

"Yes! Yes!" Ollivander said, smiling. "Your wand has just chosen you, boy." Kisame blinked. "That wand belongs to you, now." With slow movements, Kisame walked back to the others, still staring at the wand in his hand. "Now, the blond one."

Deidara's eyebrow twitched at the hidden meaning behind Ollivander's words as he walked towards him. "I'm a guy, yeah," he muttered. A tight smile spread over Ollivander's expression.

"Yes. Anyways, arm?"

"Er…left, yeah," Deidara replied, holding out his left arm. When Ollivander was finished with his measurements, he retrieved a wand and came back.

"This one should work nicely," he announced. "Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Six and a half inches. Quiet whippy-"

Ollivander was cut off as Deidara grabbed the wand and waved it, affectively sending a chair out the front window. He juggled the wand, startled, and immediately dropped it back into the box. Ollivander sighed.

"Apparently not."

He put the wand back and returned with another.

"Holly and unicorn hair. Eight inches. Nice and flexible," he said. "Try."

Deidara hesitantly grabbed his second wand, gasping when golden sparks burst from the end and formed a delicate swirl in the air between him and Ollivander. The old man smiled.

"Now for the other young man," he declared.

Deidara fell in behind Sakura as Itachi stepped forth.

"Arm?"

Itachi merely held up his right arm. After measuring, Ollivander took out a long box and handed it to Itachi.

"Mahogany and unicorn hair. Seventeen inches. Firm and rigid."

Itachi took the wand and gave it barely a flick, sending at least twenty boxes full of wands to dump onto the floor."

"I apologize, Ollivander-san," Itachi murmured, placing the wand delicately on the counter.

Ollivander blinked in surprise and took the wand back.

"Yes, well…that's quite alright," the man said and picked up one of the boxes from the floor. "Ash and phoenix feather. Nine and a half inches. Powerful and volatile. Give it a try."

Itachi did so and a wisp of fire shot Deidara right in the back, who gave a yelp, yet again. He set the wand back and Ollivander gave him another from the floor.

"Elm and unicorn hair. Ten inches. Springy," the wand-maker explained, handing Itachi another wand. Itachi waved the wand and a hole smashed into the door. "I suppose this isn't the one," Ollivander muttered, taking the wand back. He gave Itachi another. "Cedar and dragon heartstring. Twelve and a half inches. Bendy and relaxed." Another wave and the window shattered. "Not that one either."

"I apologize for destroying your store," Itachi murmured again, his deep black eyes emotionless.

Ollivander sighed. "Yes, yes. Let's see…ah!"

He pulled out another box close to the back and handed it to Itachi.

"This one might be the one! Ebony and phoenix feather. Thirteen inches exactly. Focused and intricate."

Itachi took hold of the wand and a light wind seemed to ruffle their clothes and hair, settling in a calm breeze around him. The smell of fire seemed to drift in the air.

"Yes, I though so," Ollivander said with a smile. "And now the young lady."

Sakura stepped up to the counter, indicating her right arm for him, and held perfectly still as the tape measures did their job. She waited politely for her first wand.

Ollivander handed her a light-wooded wand. "Willow and unicorn hair. Five and a half inches. Light and easy." Sakura gave the wand a flick, which cased a vase with water and flowers to explode. She hurriedly set it back down.

_"Why couldn't mine have blown something up, yeah?" _Deidara grumbled playfully. _"Lucky, yeah."_

Sakura rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at the blond-haired artist as Ollivander turned around to grab a wand. When he turned back to her, Sakura's attention was instantly on him.

"Dogwood and unicorn hair. Eight inches. Wispy," Ollivander said, handing her the wand.

Sakura paused.

"Is something wrong, miss?" he asked, confusion on his open face.

"I do not wish to…leave your store in ruins by means of reacting wands," she replied simply. "This one has not done anything, so I believe that it is not the one meant for me." Ollivander laughed quietly.

"I see," he murmured. "And I appreciate your concern. Though I must inquire that you give it a try. Who knows? The wand chooses the wizard--or in your case, witch--young miss."

Sakura sighed quietly and nodded. She flicked the wand and the light that Kisame busted burst into an explosion of electricity, nearly electrocuting Itachi. She placed the wand back and Ollivander laughed again.

"I suppose you were right." He gave her another wand. "Yew and phoenix feather. Four inches, rather short for a wand. Flexible and slightly harder to control."

Sakura took the wand and waved it, setting a stack of papers on fire that also set Ollivander's sleeve on fire. The pink-haired medic's eyes widened and she dropped the wand back on the counter, putting out the flames. Ollivander sighed vaguely in relief.

"Yes, well…" He trailed off and brought her another. The more wands he brought, the happier he seemed to get. "Boxwood and unicorn hair. Eight and a half inches. Light and rather unstable."

With a slight flick, another light came crashing down, this one landing on the counter. Deidara snickered and Sakura sighed. The list of incorrect wands was piling up.

Hazel and unicorn hair. Twelve inches. Flexible but steady.

…made Deidara fly through the air and crash into a wall.

Holly and phoenix feather. Fourteen and a half inches. Unpredictable.

…melted a table and all its contents.

Oak and unicorn hair. Eight and a quarter inches. Firm and sturdy.

…sucked Kisame into the floor up to his neck.

Birch and dragon heartstring. Sixteen inches. Springy, yet composed.

…sent out a bolt of bright blue that hit an owl flying by the store.

Ash and dragon heartstring. Eight inches exactly. Tame.

…did absolutely nothing.

Chestnut and phoenix feather. Thirteen and a half inches. Nimble and bendy.

…made a quill come to life and attack Kisame.

Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Eighteen and three-quarters inches. Just.

…nearly drowned Deidara with a stream of water in the blond's face.

Larch and unicorn hair. Twelve inches. Springy and whippy.

…sent a shoe, which happened to still be on Kisame's foot, slamming into the ceiling.

Pine and phoenix feather. Eighteen inches. Light and fragile.

…stole the color from a bouquet of flowers and left them all gray.

Sakura sighed yet again. She had gone through thirteen wands, none of which were right for her.

_**Unlucky thirteen, ne?**_ Inner Sakura said dryly.

_I guess so._ Sakura agreed, frowning sourly. _Apparently fourteen's the charm…_

Just as those thoughts entered her head, Ollivander handed her another box.

"Red cherry and dragon heartstring, a rare combination. Nine and three-quarters inches. Delicate, yet powerful," he said.

_**Red cherry? Cool.**_

Sakura took the wand and gave it a wave. Light ringed her and a light breeze tickled her skin. Ollivander smiled.

"And it comes to an end," he said. "I must say, that was quite enjoyable. I never had a customer who went through more than eight wands." The elderly wand-maker laughed and Dumbledore pulled out a pouch of gold coins to pay him.

Oo o oO

Dumbledore and the four Akatsuki members walked down the streets, the four shinobi all pulling trunks full off supplies. Dumbledore had brought them to multiple shops in order to get everything needed for their classes at Hogwarts. It was a long list, and yet Dumbledore had managed to pay for all of it from a single pouch of gold coins called gold Galleons. They all had the same list:

One wand

One cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

One set glass or crystal phials

One telescope

One set brass scales

Three sets of plain work robes (black)

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry nametags. Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad.

_The Standard Book of Spells_ by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_A Guide to Transfiguration_ by Emeric Switch

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_ by Quentin Trimble

_The Monster Book of Monsters_ (Author unknown)

_Unfogging the Future_ by Cassandra Vablatsky

Upon asking why the Monster Book of Monsters didn't have an author, Sakura received a chilling, "As you can see, the book eats many things, my dear…"

All in all, the four Akatsuki were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of spell books and magical items needed to blend in with their classes.

"I do apologize," Dumbledore had said to them earlier. "The four of you will regrettably be required to complete all assignments for each of your classes." The reply he received was a loud groan from Kisame and Deidara.

The five had been to many shops, including Ollivander's, Flourish and Blotts, and Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.

Kisame and Deidara were sulking over the fact that they had to get so many books, while Sakura was thrilled to have dragon hide gloves. Itachi didn't care at all whatsoever.

"The last thing the four of you need is a pet," Dumbledore announced. Sakura smiled.

"An owl, a cat, or a toad?" she guessed, glancing at the sheet of paper in Dumbledore's hands. He laughed quietly.

"Yes," he agreed.

The tall wizard led them to another shop called Magical Menagerie, 'meow's, 'hoot's, and 'ribit's echoing throughout the little shop. Suddenly, Sakura was bent over by the felines, cooing adorably at all the kittens and cats. Itachi sighed and followed her, deciding upon a cat as well. Deidara and Kisame went to look at the owls. With large sparkling chibi eyes, Sakura giggled and lifted up a kitten.

The kitten was small and had pretty blue-silver fur with black flecks on her back and ice blue eyes. 'Kawaii' didn't even begin to cover it. Itachi found a simple solid black cat with gray eyes. Deidara eventually found a gray owl with a dark gray ring around its right eye. Kisame…decided 'to hell with it' and insisted that Deidara let him borrow his owl whenever he needed it. Dumbledore paid for the three pets and they were currently walking down the street.

"What are you going to call your cat, Itachi?" Sakura asked, cradling her now sleeping kitten. Deidara had already named his owl Taki.

"Hn," he grunted, glancing at the sleeping black bundle on his shoulder. "I don't particularly care what its name will be. You name it." Sakura didn't know whether to grin excitedly or scowl for his obvious lack of interest.

"Fine," Sakura muttered, sending him a tiny glare. "His name will be…Kurohyou."

"Panther?" Itachi asked, raising an eyebrow. Sakura smiled.

"Yes," she said softly. "And my kitten will be called Haran." Deidara gave her a grin.

"Stormy, yeah," he chuckled. "Nice, yeah."

"Pinky, you seem to be enjoying this," Kisame noted with an amused grin.

"I've always loved cats and wolves," Sakura murmured, gazing down at her tiny kitten.

"It looks like they're the only thing that can melt you," the tall usually blue-skinned man laughed. Sakura didn't reply.

* * *

Thanks for reading, and _please _review. It just takes a few seconds. Tell me if there's anything you'd like me to change or add, and don't forget to vote for who Sakura will be paired with later. **REMEMBER:** It can only be an Akatsuki or anyone from Harry Potter.


	2. School? You Have GOT to be Kidding Me

Well, here's the next chapter. I write quickly, so you all can probably expect the updates to come every few days. Please vote on the pairing for Sakura, and thank you **imafish**. Because you voted first, yours counts twice.

Votes:

Itachi: **2**

* * *

"Regrettably, I must depart," Dumbledore announced as they walked through a train station. They all looked at him in shock. Well, Kisame and Deidara did, while Sakura and Itachi simply raised an eyebrow.

The four Akatsuki member had already changed into strange black robes in the restrooms of a pub called **The Leaky Cauldron**. While there, they had stored all their ninja items and attire inside summoning scrolls. Sakura had suggested that they use henges to seem younger.

"If we show up there the way we look now, we'll look like sensei," she had said.

They had used her idea.

Now, Sakura and Deidara could pass as thirteen- or fourteen-year-olds, but they still had their looks. Itachi seemed to be fourteen or maybe fifteen. For Kisame, however, fifteen was pushing it. He looked more like a sixteen-year-old.

Now the four were stopped in a train station - a rather large one - with long carts, that Dumbledore had given them, piled with their luggage.

"These are the train tickets you four will need in order to board the Hogwarts Express," he explained, handing them four identical tickets. "The train is on platform Nine and Three-Quarters." Deidara raised an eyebrow at this. "The platform is located behind the pillar between platforms Nine and Ten."

"Behind the pillar?" Kisame asked in confusion. "If it's behind a pillar, wouldn't everyone be able to see it?" Dumbledore smiled.

"On the contrary, dear boy, there is a spell cast over the pillar," Dumbledore replied. "You have to run through the pillar in order to reach a separate place in which the train is located." They were all quiet.

"So…in other words, we run at the pillar between platforms Nine and Ten and we'll reach where we need to board our train?" Sakura asked, summing it up. Dumbledore smiled again.

"Exactly, my dear," he said warmly. "You best be on your way, and do make sure that no muggles witness your departure." At the questioning looks on their faces, he added, "Non-magical humans."

_Civilians._

They nodded and Dumbledore rummaged around in his robes for something.

"Do you…have something for us, Dumbledore-sama?" Sakura asked. Her answer was Dumbledore pulling out a scroll. Dumbledore gave them a slightly confused smile and handed the scroll to Itachi.

"Mr. Madara requested that I record the details of all that is wished of you inside this scroll," Dumbledore said, his voice holding the majestic edge of a natural-born leader. "Does this happen to mean anything to the four of you?"

"Yes sir," Sakura replied for all of them as Itachi began unbinding the scroll. _Mission spec._ "And thank you; for buying our supplies and giving us a tour." Dumbledore smiled.

"Of course."

And with that, he disappeared. Itachi rolled the scroll open, picking up a _moving_ photograph that fell out, and read it to them quietly in Japanese as the four walked towards where their train was located, pushing their newly-bought supplies-filled trunks on trolleys.

Sakura frowned slightly, still looking ahead.

"_This Harry Potter boy sounds like quite a bit of trouble,"_ she murmured in Japanese, her eyes thoughtful as she glanced down at the picture. He had black hair and green eyes sheathed in round, thin glasses. A lightning bolt-shaped scar was visible on his forehead, slightly hidden by his dark hair. She absentmindedly petted her cat, who happened to be asleep on one of her bags. Deidara had his owl in a cage on top of his luggage. It was awake, but was too busy whirling its head in every direction and observing its surroundings to make a sound. It squawked quietly every now and then, though. Itachi's cat was curled up on top of his bags as well, but was wide awake.

"_Great, yeah,"_ Deidara grumbled. _"If the little brat runs off somewhere, I'm not gonna chase him, yeah."_

"_Just think what Leader-sama and Madara-sama would say if they heard that, Deidara,"_ Kisame snickered, grinning widely. Deidara scowled at him, huffing indignantly.

_So immature._ Sakura thought, rolling her eyes.

_**Ditto.**_ her Inner agreed.

"I've never seen a train before, yeah," Deidara said quietly. "I've heard of them, but I've never actually _seen_ one, yeah."

"_There was a train in my old home,"_ Sakura replied, smart enough to realize that the 'muggles' wouldn't know what a hidden village was. _"Back when I lived in Yukigakure, I mean,"_

"Here's Platform Nine," Itachi murmured, speaking in English so as not to raise suspicion among the 'muggles'.

"And there's Platform Ten," Sakura agreed, nodding her head across the pathway.

They all four stared at the pillar for a moment.

"…I suppose we should go through it?" Sakura suggested. Then, she suddenly paused. "Itachi, activate your Sharingan." His eyes flickered towards her. "I can sense chakra around here, but it's a bit…I'm not sure. It's chakra but it's…also _not_ chakra…"

With a quick glance to confirm that no one was watching, Itachi's eyes bled crimson and narrowed slightly.

"Hn. I see a large amount of chakra surrounding the pillar," he murmured quietly. "Though, you are right, Sakura-san. It is different."

"Different how, yeah?" Deidara asked, jumping in before Kisame could speak.

Itachi was silent for a moment, but they all expected it. The stoic Uchiha wasn't one to talk much.

"I suppose you could give a color to chakra," he said after a moment. "Normal chakra is blue. Medical chakra is green. Demon chakra is red. Cursed chakra is black. And rarely, some chakra presents itself as white. This, however,…is almost golden in color." They thought about this for a minute.

"Can you sense anything off about it?" Sakura questioned, musing over their new discovery. "Anything at all? Like I did?"

"Hn." The three Akatsuki took this to mean 'Hai'.

He continued after another quiet moment.

"It is weaker. Much weaker that normal chakra, but still dangerous," he mumbled. "I do not believe this _'magic'_ will be able to harm us."

"At least not seriously," Sakura added.

"Hn."

"…so, does that mean that the pillar has…a sort of genjutsu around it?" Kisame guessed.

Both Itachi and Sakura nodded. Deidara moved his bangs out of the way and opened his usually-hidden left eye. He blinked.

"I see it, yeah," he agreed. "It's a lot like genjutsu, yeah."

With another blink, wincing slightly as the light hurt his sensitive eye, he let his bangs cover his left eye again. Deidara's scope was, conveniently, hidden in a summoning scroll.

The four S-ranked shinobi stood for a moment in silence, contemplating whether to run at it or not. Just as Sakura opened her mouth to speak, the sunshine pouring in through multiple windows reflected off of something silver and momentarily blinded her. She blinked, holding her left hand up to block to glare. She squeezed her eyes shut and blinked again, grateful when the reflection was off her face. It was now, however, on her throat. Sakura discovered the source of the flash and grimaced at what she knew she had to say.

"_We have to get rid of our headbands."_

Deidara's head reeled around to stare at her, while Kisame looked at her in shock and Itachi's eyebrows shot up.

"_What, yeah?"_ the blond choked. _"We can't get rid of our headbands, yeah!"_

Even though the four Akatsuki members had scratched out their headbands and defected from their home villages, they weren't about to give up their headbands. Their forehead protectors were the only true symbol that marked them as shinobi.

"_We can't wear them around the school,"_ Sakura explained, frowning. _"They can't know about shinobi and the hidden villages. We can just keep them in our bags."_

The other three were quiet for a few minutes. After a while, they all reluctantly conceded. Sakura reached up slowly and untied her white-clothed headband, tilting her head forward slightly and letting in fall into her hand. She stared at the headband for a moment. She mentally traced its design. Three circles in a downward diagonal line with a fourth circle to the left of the bottom one. A long slash crossed through the middle circle. Sakura folded the cloth carefully and slid it into one of her bags. The kunoichi glanced over at her comrades and a look of surprise crossed her features.

Both Itachi and Deidara looked noticeably younger without their shinobi brand, and Sakura was a little tickled to see that Kisame did in fact possess ears. The four stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do, and Deidara sighed.

"…_we should go, yeah,"_ he mumbled.

With a quick nod from each Akatsuki member, they took turns walking to the pillar. Deidara went first. He strolled up to the pillar and, with a second of hesitation, stepped forward. His foot - now in a strange black shoe - connected with the stone…

…and sent him hopping on one foot and crying _"ITAI!"_

Sakura slapped a hand onto her face and a comical look came over Kisame's face. Itachi grunted.

"_ITAI! ITAI! ITAI!"_ Deidara screamed, drawing the attention of many 'muggles'. _"ITAI! ITAI! ITA-"_

The blond was cut off as Sakura slapped a hand over his mouth.

"_You're attracting attention,"_ she hissed in his ear. _"Shut up, and I'll heal it in a minute."_

He nodded, his eyes watering, and Sakura removed her hand. His poor owl, Taki, was now squawking, his cage laying sideways on the ground.

"You have to be careful," Sakura continued a little louder so everyone staring could hear. "You have to watch where you're going, or you'll run into things like you did now."

Hearing that, most of the observers continued on with bored expressions. A few other, however, sent them strange looks.

"_What was that?"_ Kisame asked, scratching his head and gazing in confusion at the pillar as Deidara shushed his owl. _"Aren't you supposed to go through it?"_

"_Hn,"_ Itachi mumbled. _"I believe you are supposed to run through it."_

Sakura glanced at him in surprise.

"_I bet you're right,"_ she agreed. _"Deidara, get your cart. We have to run through the pillar."_

"_No freaking way, yeah!"_ he whined. _"That hurt like hell, yeah!"_

"_Pansy,"_ Kisame muttered. A vein popped out on the blond's forehead and he whipped around.

Sakura covered his mouth again before he could start yelling. Both her and Itachi's thoughts were nearly the same, involving the words 'fool' and 'quiet'.

Sakura took a quick look around to make sure that no one was still watching them. When she was satisfied, the rosette released Deidara and grabbed her cart. She ran forward in a slight jog and phased right through the pillar, cart and all. Deidara blinked. Itachi went though next, followed closely by a hesitant Deidara. Kisame, not wanting to be left behind, ran through the pillar and found himself beside the others.

Deidara stared in awe at the huge red train before them. In read '**Hogwarts Express**' on the side in bold black letters. A small sign caught Sakura's attention.

**Platform 9****¾**

She snorted.

"Whoa, yeah," Deidara whispered, wide blue eyes locked on the gigantic locomotive. "I've never seen a train like this, yeah."

"It's huge," Sakura agreed. "The one back home is big, but not _this_ big. And it's unused."

"I've seen a couple, myself, but this one…damn," Kisame added.

Itachi grunted. Again.

"Come on," Sakura said, redeeming herself quickly. "We need to board."

Their carts were left in the station and their baggage was loaded onto the train. Sakura, Itachi, and Deidara's pet were put in the animal car of the train. Apparently only rats and toads - when the owner is sure that he or she can hold onto them, seeing as a boy from two years prior lost his toad on the train - are allowed to be kept with the student. The four ninja stubbornly kept their headbands hidden in their 'robe's.

Sakura, Itachi, Deidara, and Kisame climbed onto the train and glanced around before walking down the aisle. Sakura looked back and forth to different cars, using her chakra to sense how many were in each. So far, all of them were very full. She cursed inwardly.

_**This is taking too long,**_ her Inner grumbled.

_Shh._

Sakura continued to 'feel' for an empty car when she found one with only three people. She paused and the other three stopped as well. They looked at her and she stood in front of an open compartment door. Just as she thought, their were only three students inside. One had dark hair and green eyes, the second had brown hair and brown, and the third…

…had slicked-back white-blond hair.

_**Damn. Harry-san isn't here.**_

They all three looked up.

Sakura plastered a smile to her face - which was very hard to do - and began speaking.

"Hello. Could we possibly sit here?" she asked with a fake kind voice. "All the other compartments are full."

The one with pale-colored hair in a Hidan style eyed her up and down. Sakura was tempting to sucker-punch him in the face, but she figured it wouldn't make a good impression. Besides, they had to keep a low profile.

Deidara, on the other hand, twitched. The only reason he didn't blow up the brat was because all his clay was in a summoning scroll in his bags. Otherwise, the kid would be as good as gone. Deidara was very…_protective_ of his friend.

Not to mention that he liked her.

The pale-haired boy opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as someone crashed into Sakura. Whoever it was bounced off of her as if she were a brick wall. Sakura didn't even twitch.

She glanced down at the boy now sitting on his butt, stunned. He wasn't Harry Potter, either.

"Er…I'm sorry," he apologized with a thick, strange accent.

Sakura reached a hand down, yanking him up quickly when he took it. The boy stumbled, surprised that she was so strong.

"I didn't mean-_oh_," he muttered, suddenly scowling at the pale-haired boy as soon as he saw him. Sakura merely raised an eyebrow. "Are you looking for a place to sit?" Sakura nodded for the four of them. "Well, you won't find luck here," he said, now engaged in a glaring contest with the other three wizards. "Malfoy'd rather bite you then let you sit here. We have room in our car if you want."

Sakura sent him a fake smile and nodded while the one named Malfoy scowled.

"Here," the boy said. "My compartment's just across here."

He led them across the aisle to a car with a closed see-through door.

_**Strange. We've seen rice paper doors and wooden doors, but never glass doors like these.**_ Inner Sakura commented.

_They aren't glass._ Sakura corrected. _They're almost like plastic._

"I hate these doors," the young wizard said frowning at the door as he attempted to open it. "They should have been made with real glass instead of this damn Plexiglas."

_**What the hell's Plexiglas?**_

_Dunno._

"But if they were made with glass," he continued, yanking the door with all his might, "then stinking cockroaches like Malfoy'd break 'em all." A girl inside the compartment got up and slid the door open for him. "Name's Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley."

_**What the hell kind of name is 'Ron'?**_

_I have no idea. What kind of name is 'Dumbledore'?_

_**Good point.**_

Sakura glanced at the inhabitants of the compartment. First, there was the Ron boy. Then there was the girl that had opened the door. She had thick brown hair and brown eyes. A man was wrapped up in a black cloak and sleeping in the corner, and the last…

…was Harry Potter.

The four Akatsuki members had a mutual understanding, and had no need to look at one another to confirm that he was their client.

"Who are these, Ron?" the girl asked. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"And I'm Harry Potter," the black-haired boy spoke up, standing at his seat.

They all nodded, except Itachi. He simply grunted. Harry was mildly surprised that they didn't react to his name, but was grateful that they didn't gasp or start ogling.

"My name is Sakura Haruno," Sakura greeted, still unused to saying her first name first. Surprise flickered in their expressions.

"Deidara Katsu, yeah." He had to came up with a last name, so why not use the word that makes his bombs blow up?

"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki." The shark-nin grinned.

"Itachi Uchiha."

"Those are…interesting names," Hermione faltered. "Um…are you first years?"

"No," Sakura replied smoothly, recalling their conversation with Dumbledore on their way to the train station. "Deidara, Itachi, and I are third years. Kisame is a fourth year."

The trio's shock was evident on their faces.

"_What?"_ was Hermione's dumbfounded answered. "But…but you're _new_ here! You _have_ to be first years! It's the _rules_!"

_So annoying, yeah._ Deidara though, eyebrow twitching.

_Jeez. A bit pushy, ne?_ Sakura inwardly muttered.

"_How?"_ the brunette sputtered.

"We're exchange students from a Witchcraft and Wizardry school in Japan," Sakura said, although having no clue where Japan was.

"Then how come I haven't read anything about it?" That witch was getting very annoying.

"Because our school is _'prestigious' _and didn't want to risk muggles finding out about it," Sakura murmured, spitting the word 'prestigious' like it was a disease. Hermione was still skeptical, but didn't ask any more questions. "You can ask Dumbledore-sama if you don't believe us."

" 'sama'," Harry repeated in confusion, pronouncing the word very badly. "What does that mean?"

"It's pronounced _'sama'_, Harry-san," Sakura mumbled, sighing. "And it's a suffix that is added to someone's name, usually someone older, to show respect."

"…oh," Harry said, slightly embarrassed. "Then, uh, what does 'san' mean?"

"It's _'san'_, yeah. Another suffix for someone who is relatively equal, yeah." _Even though this brat's way off from equal, yeah._

"Why do you say that?" Ron asked.

"Say what, yeah?" Deidara shot back. The four Akatsuki sat down, Sakura between the sleeping man and Itachi. Kisame sat on Itachi's other side, while Deidara took a place opposite of Kisame, the now-closed door on his left.

"Why do you always say 'yeah'?" Ron specified, looking at Deidara from his spot to the right of the blond.

"It's a speech impediment, yeah," he replied, jaw twitching slightly. He hated it when people asked about that. "I was born with it, yeah."

"O-oh…"

An awkward silence filled the compartment for a few moments before Harry spoke up.

"So, um, Sakura, is it?" Sakura forced herself not to flinch at the horrible pronunciation of her name.

"Hai?"

"W-what?" Harry asked in surprise. She mentally rolled her eyes.

"Yes?" Sakura murmured.

"Oh, uh…is that your natural hair color?" Another mental eye roll. Typical question.

"Hai, it is," Sakura replied. " 'Hai' mean 'yes'."

"You were _born_ with _pink_ hair?" Hermione said incredulously.

"Hai, I was," Sakura answered, clenching her jaw slightly. "Pink is my natural hair color, and green is my natural eye color. Kisame's hair color is _also_ natural, and his eyes are as well. Deidara was born with his speech impediment and he is, in fact, a guy. Itachi hardly ever speaks but he is not deaf, dumb, or blind. Does that answer any questions?"

The trio didn't ask any more questions.

Not until after the second awkward silence was over, at least.

"So…you three are wizards and a witch from Japan?" Harry asked. They all nodded except Itachi.

"Hn."

The trio stared at him. Hermione nearly ogled.

Itachi raised an eyebrow.

"What does-"

" 'Hn' in just a filler word that all Uchiha's use when they're too damn lazy to actually say something useful," Sakura supplied.

Itachi sent her the infamous Uchiha death glare and Sakura stared him down back with a passive expression.

"Those don't work on me," she deadpanned.

"Hn," he grunted.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Do it. I dare you."

"Hn."

"Oh, really now?"

"Hn."

"Sure."

"_Hn."_

"Then do it."

Itachi grunted again. "Hn."

"I knew it."

When their little 'argument' was over, Sakura turned back to find the trio staring. Again. Deidara huffed and a rough cough-slash-laugh came from Kisame's throat.

"Itachi threatens people often," Sakura said, plastering a fake smile to her face yet again. "He doesn't scare me, but I'd advise the three of you to watch your backs when you make him angry." The underlying hint of warning sent chills down their spines.

"Right, um, back to my question earlier," Harry continued, surprised that he could remember what he had asked. "So, you're all from Japan…how is it there? What's the school like?"

Sakura paused slightly - so slightly that only a trained shinobi such as Itachi could notice - so the Uchiha spoke up.

"It is very large and rather traditional," he murmured quietly. "Only top-ranking witches and wizards are admitted."

They all looked in surprise at Itachi, while Sakura sent him a grateful glance. She was getting tired of being the spokesperson.

"Really?" Hermione asked. "What's it called?"

Sakura pulled a random name out of her ass. "Meiyo Jujutsu."

The brunette's eyebrows raised. " 'Meiyo Jujutsu'?" The four winced at the butchered pronunciation. "What does that mean?"

"Honor Magic, yeah," Deidara put in, wanting a chance to speak again.

Hermione had a strange look on her face. One that obviously said '_You_ were accepted to a honors magic academy?'

Sakura had never wanted to squash someone so bad. Hermione was so _annoying_. The rosette had a strong urge to bash her in the head, simply to shut her up, but had the feeling that it wouldn't end well.

Violent thoughts were circulating in Sakura's mind and a fake smile was molded to her face when the train suddenly came to a jerking halt.

"What the-" Deidara was cut off as he tumbled from his seat and landed flat on the floor or the compartment. Sakura was nearly flung from her seat as well, but she grabbed the bottom of the bench. With a flustered expression, she realized that she left a dent in the bottom, but that was the least of their problems. The trio stumbled and Kisame's head hit the wall.

A crackling sound attracted the shinobis' attention, and they looked up to see the windows freezing over.


	3. What the FUCK is That?

Thank you everyone for your reviews and comments! They make me very happy! I apologize for any mistakes, because my laptop officially has a freaking VIRUS on it, and now I'm having to RETYPE this WHOLE ENTIRE THING on my dad's computer!! Yeah, I'm pretty mad about that. So anyways, thanks to everyone who voted! Here are the results so far:

Votes:

Itachi: 5

Sasori: 2

Madara: 1

Hidan: 1

Fred: 1

George: 1

* * *

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

The crackling sound came from all around as ice spread across the window and door. A bottle of strange clear liquid beside the window became little more than a bottle of ice. A few cries of surprise were audible from the other compartments. The air became shockingly cold and the trio looked around frantically. The four shinobi locked gazes and an unspoken message passed through them. Whatever was happening, it was a threat, and they had to protect their charge at all costs.

The Akatsuki members sent out chakra to try and sense whatever it was that was coming. The trio paid no attention to them, too busy attempting to look out the ice-covered window. Sakura stiffened and whipped her head around to the sliding door. Itachi's gaze followed a split-second later, closely mirrored by Deidara and Kisame.

Sakura took a step forward and reached back for her gloves, getting ready to unleash her superhuman strength, only to find that she didn't have her pack on and that she was wearing those god-awful robes. She inwardly cursed. She couldn't use any jutsu; she'd have to use that..._wand_...

_**Fuck. **_came Inner Sakura's very ladylike response.

She pulled out the wand and grimaced at it.

_I can't believe this. I can't fucking believe this._

_**A **_**WAND**_**! A goddamn WAND!! WHAT THE HELL KIND OF PROTECTION IS THIS?!?**_

Her thoughts froze like the ice-covered windowswhen she felt a dark presence drawing nearer. She stood at the ready, gripping the red cherry wooden stick tightly. The thing drew nearer and nearer, Sakura tensing even more with each passing second. It felt like hours, but finally a dark shape appeared outside the frosted door.

Kisame's jaw went slack and Deidara gasped quietly. The trio looked up and saw the shadow, while Itachi's eyebrows shot up. The thing - it obviously wasn't human from its outline - raised what looked like a bony hand and curled its fingers. The door slid open almost as though the thing had were using chakra strings to pull it. With a chilling scrape, the door opened fully. The thing was like nothing any of them had ever seen.

It was a giant cloaked figure that had no face and secreted a cold, dead aura. It seemed to float a mere foot from the ground, and the thing had no legs. A black hole appeared to open on the thing's head where its mouth should have been, a spine-tingling air-sucking sound emitting from it.

The air grew at least fifteen degrees colder when the thing entered their compartment. From the lack of screams and gasps in the other cars, the shinobi figured this was the only one on the train. Sakura wasn't about to let this thing take their charge or kill one of them, so she did what any teenage girl would do.

She leapt into battle with a ferocious inner war cry.

Sakura's let hand - which was pulled up to her chest - flew through a series of hand signs, too fast for the human eye to follow, and her right hand - which held the wand - was extended as far as it would go towards the thing.

Sakura sent chakra to her right hand and carefully channeled it into the stick.

_Water Style: Jet Stream Jutsu!_

Sakura jerked her right arm backwards to the left and snapped it forward to intensify the attack. A spurt of water - far greater in force than that of which those in Harry's world called a 'fire hose' - burst from the tip and blasted towards the cloaked figure.

It raised one bony hand and the water collided with what seemed to be an invisible wall. Sakura's eyes snapped open wide and she inwardly cursed.

She faintly noticed the one called Malfoy and his two friends peering out their frozen door to observe the battle, but she paid them no attention.

The rosette flew through another series of hand seals - grateful for the speed, for she would have to explain later if the wizards saw - and channeled another burst of chakra into the wand.

_Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!_

This was a favorite of hers and the Uchiha's.

She whipped her arm backwards and to the right, and flung it back towards it. A gigantic blaze in the shape of a fierce dragon exploded from the stick and struck at the creature. With another slow movement of the hand, the dragon was split down the middle and blown into flares. Sakura had to shield her face with her left arm as hot air blasted back upon her. The other three shinobi grunted and protected their faces as well.

Sakura was fed up with this thing, her Inner going on an all-expenses-paid cursing spree. Deidara, Kisame, and Itachi - who's eyes were flickering dangerously as he tried to suppress the Sharingan - threw their own attacks as well, hands blurring through the signs do the wizards wouldn't notice.

_Earth Style: Stone Entrapment Jutsu!_

Deidara's speech impediment didn't affect his thoughts as he inwardly yelled the name of his jutsu. Long tendrils of solid rock surged from his wand and flew towards the creature. They encircled it and were constricting when the thing lifted its hand again. The stones burst into dust and fell to the floor. Deidara cursed.

Kisame and Itachi sent their attacks together.

_Water Style: Water Bullet!_

_Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu._

Six bullets of water and eight or nine fireballs flew at the creature together. Sakura and Deidara quickly sent jutsu of their own at it.

_Lightning Style: Storming Thunder Jutsu!_

_Earth Style: Mud Dragon!_

Four jutsu, each of different styles, were launched at the thing, but with a lift of its hand, all four were blown apart.

_God damn it!_ Sakura yelled, gritting her teeth.

_**God damn mother fucking shit!!**_ Needless to say, her Inner wasn't pleased. She continued to scream endless flows of curses, most of them beginning with 'f'.

Sakura prepared to fire another jutsu - this time a Wind Style - at the thing, but was stopped when it raised its hand. The trio, who were splitting their time between gaping at them and gaping at the thing, gasped and the shinobi stiffened. The creature flared its fingers out and Deidara was sent skidding across the floor on his back. He slammed into the wall, under the window, and gasped and coughed for breath. The trio jumped away so as not to be hit and stared in shock at the blond. With another flick of its gray fingers, Kisame smashed headfirst into the wall. He slid to the floor, clutching his throbbing skull.

The thing drew its fingers in and Sakura was wrenched forward, her wand clattering to the floor. She crashed into it, surprised when she could actually feel it, and stumbled. Her body nearly turned to ice where it brushed against the creature, and she gasped as it grabbed her shoulders. The gaping hole on its face opened wide and it lowered down towards her mouth. She felt a strange force on her face, and felt as though it was trying to suck her skin off. A dark unhappiness settled over her and cold seeped into her lungs. She couldn't breathe. Sakura let out a strangled battle cry and thrashed under the thing. There was no way that she as going to let it absorb her, or whatever the thing was doing. She flooded chakra into her legs and kicked violently up at it, growling when they were sent slamming down back onto the ground from the thing's repulsion power.

"_Get __**OFF**__!"_ she screamed, smashing her forehead against its head.

The thing recoiled with a small screech, hitting the door, and blood spilled down Sakura's face. Sakura, driven by sheer blind rage, jumped up at flew at it with her fists. She drew her fist back and snapped it forward, hitting the thing in the middle of where its chest should have been. It was pushed backwards slightly.

"_Mother fucking BASTARD!"_ she shrieked, punching at it again.

The thing avoided her fist, and Sakura just barely drained the chakra from her fist in time before it smashed into the wall. It let a small hole in the wall and her knuckles split. More blood spurted from her knuckles, but she didn't even wince as she threw another punch.

_**God damn it! KILL THE THING!!**_

Sakura sent another fist at it, but her eyes zeroed in on its hand. Her muscles instinctively tensed and she knew that it was about to do something. Sakura's eyes snapped open wide when its fingers began to move. With an inward curse, Sakura drew her arms into a protective X-formation over her face and upper body. Her hair was sent streaming behind her and she hurtled into Itachi. Both ninja were sent careening into the back wall, grunting from the impact of the blow.

The thing drifted forward, pausing slightly. It twitched its head back and forth between Sakura and Harry - who stood with wide eyes between Ron and Hermione - as though it couldn't make up its mind. With renewed confidence, it seemed, it glided towards the rosette. As it neared the three ninja - Deidara still on the floor and gripping his now-broken ankle - the sleeping man's eyes flew open.

He jumped to his feet and drew out a wand. Quick as a snake - but still nowhere near the speed of a ninja - he shot a bright white light from his wand that formed a giant shield. The thing screeched and backed up. He took a step forward, thrusting the safeguard at the creature, and it disappeared out the door.

The windows and doors in all the compartments began to unfreeze and the air started to warm back up. Gasps were heard, echoing through the train as students poked their heads out of their cars. Malfoy and his companions stared with eyes rounder than the full moon at the four Akatsuki, but mostly at Sakura.

Sakura groaned, rolling off of Itachi and gripping her head.

"Ow, fuck," she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut.

Itachi sat up, rubbing his forehead. If the other three Akatsuki hadn't been busy with their injuries, they would have gaped at Mr. 'I Never Get Hurt'. Deidara was spilt between clutching his ankle and demanding to know if Sakura was alright. Kisame fisted his right hand into his hair and rubbed his head with his left.

"What the hell was that?" the shark-nin growled, blinking to get rid of the bright spots in his vision.

"I have no idea, but if it shows up again, there'll be hell to pay," Sakura muttered, wiping blood from her forehead.

"_That thing tried to kiss you, yeah!"_ Deidara snarled. _"I'll fucking blow it to bits, yeah!"_

"_Not if I do it first,"_ the rosette replied darkly, choosing to ponder about Deidara's obvious jealousy later. Kisame, however, took the opportunity to laughed rather then focus on his pain.

"_Oh, you jealous, Deidara?"_ he joked, grinning as he rubbed his head with his right hand. _"Better watch out. Kitten might choose it over you."_

Deidara bristled. _"Fuck you_, _Kisame, yeah,"_ he spat indignantly.

"_Don't call me kitten."_ Sakura rubbed her sore knuckles and winced slightly. "Jeez," she grumbled.

Usually, the Akatsuki wouldn't flinch if their entire arm got torn off. Now, however, they were groaning and complaining about big bruises and blood. For some reason that they couldn't understand, these injuries hurt much more than usual. It felt as though their wounds were on fire, but also bitingly freezing. Almost like burning ice.

"Are you alright?"

The four ninja looked up in surprise. They had forgotten about the man.

He had brown hair, slightly messy from sleeping so long, and a small mustache. His eyes were a warm blue-gray and we wore a small smile. He had on the traditional Hogwarts robes, but the four could tell he was a teacher.

"Yes sir," Sakura replied for them. "Thank you, though."

"Did it drain you?" The shinobis' confusion must have shown on their faces, because he clarified a moment later. "Did it feel as though it was draining you? Did you feel cold and upset?" They all retook their seats as the train began moving again. Apparently it was safe now.

_Oh, I was upset alright._ "Could you please be more specific?"

"Did it suck out your happiness?" he repeated. Sakura's eyebrows twitched upwards in surprise.

"Yes," she answered, wiping even more blood off her forehead. It seemed to be gushing, but Sakura didn't notice. The man, however, did. "It felt like it was trying to suck out my soul."

"That's exactly what it was doing," the man replied, sounded impressed. "Here." He pulled out something from his robes. "Eat this."

The Akatsuki stared at it.

"...what is it?" Sakura asked after a minute.

The trio were shocked.

"It's chocolate," the man said with a smile, but the shinobi could tell he was surprised.

"That's chocolate, yeah?" Deidara questioned, studying the brown bar.

"Yes."

"That's so strange," Sakura murmured, eyes trained on the candy bar. "I've never seen chocolate like this. Only on pocky." Deidara and Kisame nodded. The man inferred that pocky was candy and didn't bother asking.

"Are you the three from...Japan?" he asked, pausing to remember where Dumbledore had specified. The wizards and witch passed it off as nothing.

"Yes sir," Sakura murmured, chewing a bite of chocolate.

"Come with me," he said. "We need to get you and your blond friend help."

"What do you mean (yeah)?" they asked at the same time.

The tall wizard looked surprised again. "Well, um, you're bleeding," he explained. "And your friend's ankle looks very bad."

Sakura and Deidara looked at each other blankly.

"We'll be fine, yeah," Deidara assured him. He had had his arm torn off once. He could handle this. The man looked like he wanted to object, but said nothing.

"Here," he said finally. "At least take these." The wizard grabbed a couple cloths from his bag and handed them to the two.

"Arigatou," the both chorused, bowing, and took the cloths. He understood that to mean 'thank you' and nodded.

Sakura wiped off her knuckles and put the cloth against her forehead. Deidara attempted to put the cloth on his ankle by lifting his foot into the air, but failed miserably. He nearly fell over and Sakura, with an amused sigh, reached across the compartment and caught his shoulder. She sat him down. Sakura took the cloth from him and settled on the floor in front of him.

"What would I do without you, yeah?" Deidara joked, laughing. Sakura grinned back, wrapping the cloth around his ankle and tying it. She made the knot tight, but not too tight, and slid it around to the back so that it wouldn't be visible.

"You just remember that the next time you complain about getting a sling," Sakura laughed. Kisame chuckled and Deidara grinned.

"Hn," Itachi murmured, a smirk playing on the corners of his lips.

Hermione's ears perked up.

_She must know a lot about being a nurse_. she mused.

"My name is Remus Lupin, but you may call me Professor Lupin," the wizard greeted.

"I'm Sakura," the rosette said with a fake smile.

"Deidara, yeah."

"I'm Kisame."

"Hn. Itachi."

Lupin nodded to each of them. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Lupin-san, you know what those things are, don't you?" Sakura guessed. He looked at her in surprise.

"Why, yes I do," he said. "How did you know?"

"You knew what they were doing, so you must know what they are."

He chucked quietly and smiled.

"Very well, then. They are called Dementors."

"Dementors?" Harry spoke up.

"I've read about them" Hermione chimed. "They-"

"Yes, thank you," Lupin interrupted. "I can handle it." An embarrassed expression came over her face and she ducked her head sheepishly. "Dementors are the guards of Azkaban. They absorb the happiness of the prisoners and leave them depressed so that they don't attempt to escape. Eventually, they perform the 'kiss', which sucks out the prisoner's soul."

The shinobi shared a glance.

"And I suppose Azkaban is a prison?" Sakura question. Lupin nodded.

"You don't _know_ what _Azkaban_ is?!?" Hermione exclaimed.

_**This brat is going down if she doesn't shut the hell up**_.Inner Sakura growled, eyebrow twitching.

_Oh, definitely._

"We're from Japan, remember, yeah?!?" Deidara snapped, quickly getting irritated. "We don't know what the hell the prison's called here, yeah."

Hermione was flabbergasted. "W-well, you don't have to be rude about it," she stuttered, sending him a small glare.

"Well, _you_ don't have to be so annoying, yeah," the blond shot back. She stumbled over her words and was unable to reply.

"H-hey!" Ron stammered. "Don't talk to-"

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, even though she completely agreed with Deidara, her fake smile in place. It was becoming increasingly harder to keep it plastered to her face. "He's just in pain. He gets irritable when he's in pain."

Ron blinked and exchanged a confused look with Harry while Hermione nodded slightly, looking a little embarrassed.

"It's alright," she murmured.

_**Well, at least she's quieter now.**_

_So very true._

"How do you feel?" Lupin asked, taking the chance to break up the tiny argument. Sakura glanced at him.

"I'm fine," she repeated. "The injuries are just flesh wounds-"

"No, I was talking about how you _feel_," he interrupted. "Emotional-wise. Do you feel depressed or anything like that?"

"Oh. Not really, no."

"Hm." He nodded.

_**Something's not right about him.**_ Inner Sakura commented, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

_I know. I sense it, too._

_**What do you think it is?**_

_I'm not sure, but it reminds me of the jincuriki we capture._

_**Yeah, now that you mention it...**_

"Are you sick, Lupin-san?" Sakura asked suddenly. Itachi cut his eyes over at the kunoichi. He had sensed it as well. The wizard looked startled and glanced at her with a shocked expression.

"N-no," he stammered, surprised. "Why?" Sakura studied him for a moment before replying without removing her eyes from his.

"No reason."

Hermione shot her a skeptical look, but said nothing. Sakura met her gaze evenly. The brunette looked away and focused on something else to distract her.

"When does this end, yeah?" Deidara complained.

"Excuse me?" Lupin asked in confusion. The ninja were constantly throwing him for a loop without even realizing it.

"When do we get to the school yeah?" the blond repeated.

"Well, according to my watch and our rather unfortunate delay, we should be arriving in about ten minutes."

The pyrotechnic sighed and rested his forehead in his hands.

"Daijoubu desuka?" Sakura murmured, a sympathetic expression crossing her face.

"Could you _please_ speak in English?" Hermione demanded. "It's _very_ rude to speak a different language in front of others."

That was the last straw. Sakura dropped her fake smile altogether and flat-out glared at Hermione. The brunette gasped quietly in surprise. Sakura was infamous for her Uchiha-level death glares.

_Mesuinu, yeah._ "Hai, hai, yeah," he mumbled, dragging his hands down his face and settling them around his nose and mouth. For once, Deidara was glad to be wearing fingerless gloves.

"Hontou desuka?"

"Hai, yeah."

Yet another awkward silence filled the air. It was quiet for at least four minutes before Hermione, who just couldn't resist, spoke up.

"What did you ask him?" she questioned, looking at Sakura but not meeting her eyes. The rosette sighed.

"I asked if he was alright," she bot out, staring back at the witch's eyes.

"O-oh."

"Would you like to know what he said? And what I asked next? And then what he said after that? Hm?" Sakura was getting very annoyed.

"N-no, thank you..."

It was quiet for another minute before she asked another question. What it was and who it was directed at, however, surprised them all.

"So, um, Itachi, was it? How old are you?"

The Uchiha's emotionless black eyes locked onto the witch, seemingly unfazed.

"Hn," he grunted. "Thirteen."

Hermione's eyes lit up.

"Thirteen?" she confirmed, smiling. "When?"

Itachi just stared at her unblinkingly.

"He doesn't give out his birthday, girl," Kisame supplied, chuckling roughly. "He has trust issues."

Kisame was suddenly the recipient of the infamous Uchiha death glare.

"Hn."

"O-oh..." That seemed to be Hermione's new favorite word. "Then, uh...what about the rest of you?"

"Thirteen," Sakura muttered.

"Thirteen, yeah," Deidara mumbled, debating over whether he should blow up the witch.

"Fifteen," Kisame answered.

The trio looked at the shark-nin in surprise.

"Fifteen?" And Hermione's annoying inquisitive voice appeared once more. "How are you _fifteen_? You're a _fourth_ year."

Kisame sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You know, girl, you really _are_ getting annoying." She ducked her head slightly in embarrassment and her face went red.

"He started a year late," Sakura replied for him, making up an excuse off the top of her head. "His mother was a muggle and didn't want him to go to a wizardry school."

"Oh..." Yet again with the favorite word. "So, um, are there house at your school?"

Sakura paused and the four shared a confused look.

"Houses?" she asked. "You mean like buildings to live in?"

"No, _houses_."

_Aw, shit. Here we go._

"They're the groups that we're separated in for different dormitories so that there aren't too many of us in one single place," Hermione explained, sounding an awful lot like a book. "Don't you have them? How could you _all_ live together _without_ the,?"

Deidara twitched and Sakura's jaw clenched.

"Tell me, Hermione," she hissed. "You looked like the type that knows nearly every word in the dictionary."

"I do," Hermione agreed, meeting her gaze as if to boast about her intelligence.

"Ah, as I thought. Now, you see, there's this new word - or should I say _words_ - in the dictionary that I believe you haven't heard of yet."

"Really?" She sounded intrigued. "What are they?"

"It's 'shut' and 'up'. Has a nice ring to it, ne?"

Hermione was silent and Ron choked on a cough. Harry's eyebrows shot up un surprise while Lupin glanced down at Sakura. Deidara snickered and Kisame coughed to cover up a laugh. A smirk formed on Itachi's lips. Lupin pressed his lips together in a tight line to keep from smiling. He had a feeling that he would like Sakura.

They all sat up straighter. When the train came to another halt. To their relief, however, the window and door didn't freeze. Harry looked out to window to his right and his eyes lit up.

"We're here!' he called, his accent ringing distinctively in the voice. "We've arrived at Hogwarts!"

* * *

Daijoubu desuka? - Are you alright?

Mesuinu - bitch

Hontou desuka? - Are you sure?

* * *


	4. Whoa! Hogwarts is HUGE!

Thank you, everyone! I'm so happy that you all reviewed! Here's the next chapter; I hope you all like it. Enjoy!

Votes:

Itachi: 22

Deidara: 6

Draco: 4

Sasori: 3

Harry: 3

Fred: 2

George: 2

Lupin: 1

Madara: 1

Hidan: 1

Ron: 1

"_We've arrived at Hogwarts!"_

That one excited exclamation delivered an extra load of realization to the four shinobi. The seriousness of their mission was finally sinking in and they shared a glance. All four ninja understood each other, even without having to delve into one another's minds with their thought-sharing bond that all Akatsuki members wielded. The last thing they needed was more stress.

And, as Kami-sama would have it, that was exactly what they got. Karma was a real bitch.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lupin all stood. The Akatsuki, in turn, copied their movement. Ron slid open the door - which Lupin had closed after their encounter with the Dementor - and they all waited as a crowd of witches and wizards exited the train. The eight stood for a good ten minutes as student after student squeezed by, some snapping and hissing at each other to 'move the bloody hell out of the way'.

Inner Sakura blinked dumbly and her outer swore that she saw a gigantic question mark above her head as she pondered the meaning of 'bloody hell'. She eventually settled upon an equality of Itachi replaying the Uchiha Massacre in someone's mind via Tsukuyomi.

Once a gap finally opened up amongst the flood of students, they jumped out of their compartment. Sakura glanced back to make sure Lupin had managed to make it out, but the wizard had disappeared.

_What the - where did he go?_

Sakura frowned slightly and turned back to face the front of the massive train. Itachi's sharp eye caught her expression, and she sensed him looking at her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and flickered it back towards the direction they had come from. The Uchiha got the hint and glanced - unnoticeable to the untrained, A.K.A. _wizard_, eye - over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed slightly as he obviously saw what Sakura had. Or rather, saw what should have been there but wasn't. He turned his head inches forward back to its original position, eyes narrowing invisibly in deep thought.

Sakura and Itachi had a deep understanding. They were both geniuses, and preferred to speak with very few words. Because of this shared preference, Sakura was quick to understand what the Uchiha meant by 'hn'. Both were quiet and both were dangerous.

Today, however, Sakura's wish of silence and peace would not be met.

Karma wasn't just a bitch. Karma was a pissy bitch.

The four shinobi made their way to the front of the train, pausing every few seconds to glare at a student that 'shoved them and will soon go missing'. However, as soon as Hogwarts came into view, their minds drew a blank. The school was _huge_. Sakura could have sworn that it was a castle – one larger than the castle belonging to the leader of her home village, Kazahana Koyuki-hime.

And suddenly everything passed in a blur.

Sakura wasn't sure what happened next, but all of a sudden she and the other three Akatsuki were standing in front of a cart being pulled by a strange creature. The four shinobi studied the animal in shock, curiosity getting the better of them, and completely ignored the wizard (and witch) trio. The creature was horse-like and had large bony wings. It was very skinny and had a thin ebony coat. If Sakura was being honest with herself, she would have said that the thing looked _dead_.

"What..._is_ it, yeah?" Deidara whispered, his blue eyes wide. For half a second, he considered uncovering his left eye to see if it was genjutsu.

"I have no idea," Sakura murmured. "Itachi? Have you seen anything like this before?"

"Hn." Surprisingly, all three Akatsuki understood.

"Kisame? What about you?"

He blinked, almost daring to touch the creature.

"Do I _look_ like I've seen this ugly thing before?"

"Is it _dead_, yeah?" Deidara asked, voicing their inner thoughts.

"I'm not sure," Sakura admitted. She frowned. The medic could sense a life force in the animal, but it was dark and foggy. As much as she hated to admit it, the thing reminded her of a ghost.

The trio finally decided to break in.

"Our carriages always pull themselves," Hermione voiced, obviously trying not to annoy them too much.

The four shinobi paused and glanced at her.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked, yet again acting as the spokesperson.

"The carriages pull themselves," Ron cut in, repeating Hermione's statement. "They always have. We think one of the professors put a charm on them."

The Akatsuki members shared a look.

"But...they're not pulling themselves, yeah," Deidara objected.

"Of course they are," Harry said. "There's nothing there pulling them, so they must being doing it alone." Sakura's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"On the contrary, Harry-san, there _is_ something there," she murmured.

"No there isn't," Ron disagreed.

"_Yeah_, there _is_," Kisame argued, frowning. "Can't you see it?"

"It looks like a dead horse, yeah," Deidara exclaimed in confusion. "How can you _not_ see it, yeah?"

This time, Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other in confusion.

"But there isn't anything there," Hermione said, trying to reason with them. "This is our third year at Hogwarts, and there's never been anything pulling the carriages. Why would there be now?"

Sakura's confused frown deepened.

_What _is_ it?_

_**Dunno. Maybe it's some kind of demon?**_

_No, it'd be _huge_. Besides, that boy in Suna has the Ichibi._

_**But this doesn't have tail AT ALL. It could be...I don't know, a no-tailed demon?**_

_But then why are there more than one?_

Sure enough, a quick glance around confirmed Sakura's thoughts. There were countless carts that brought the students up to the school, and each of them was being pulled by one of the creatures.

_So strange..._

It was only then that Sakura realized the others had been talking.

"-ust too blind to see them, yeah!" Deidara growled, glaring at Hermione.

"Well, excuse me!" the brunette huffed back. "I have twenty-twenty vision, thank you very much!"

That one drew the shinobi up short.

_What does 'twenty-twenty vision' mean?_

_**I have no clue. Maybe it means that she can only see things in twenty different colors?**_

_But then why is it called 'twenty-twenty'? Wouldn't it just be 'twenty'?_

_**Good question. Maybe it means that she can see forty different colors.**_

_But it could just be called 'forty vision'._

_**Then maybe she sees two thousand twenty colors.**_

_True. But why not call it 'two-thousand-twenty vision' instead of 'twenty-twenty vision'?_

_**Maybe because it's shorter.**_

_Ah. I see._

With a frown, Sakura discovered that her companions had been speaking again.

"-ans that I don't need glasses," Hermione explained. "Like Harry."

_Oh._ Sakura didn't say anything; what _could_ she say?

'Oh, thank you very much. Medic-nin usually probe the veins behind our eyes with chakra to see if they're taking damage. That's how _we_ find out if we need glasses. By the way, you don't know what a 'medic-nin' and 'chakra' are, do you? Well, I should probably start off by telling you that we're all ninja from another dimension.'

Yeah, _that_ would go well. Sakura didn't even want to imagine what the wizards' reactions would be.

'_Is something troubling you?'_

The sudden intrusion to her mind startled the rosette.

'_Itachi? What is it?'_

Their thought-sharing bond had been opened.

'_You seem distracted. Do you sense an enemy?'_

_**Of course. That's **_**all**_** he thinks about.**_

'_No. Just thinking.'_

'_Ah.'_

Neither Akatsuki member replied.

Suddenly, something caught Sakura's eye. Or rather, she noticed something that was _supposed_ to be there.

"The other carriages are already gone," she blurted out before she could think.

The other six looked up in surprise and, sure enough, what Sakura had said was true.

"We need to go," Hermione stated, echoing everyone's thoughts. Sakura faintly noted that the brunette didn't seem as annoying as she had before.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed onto the cart, soon followed by the shinobi. The dead-looking creature made a snorting sound from deep in its throat and trotted at a moderate pace towards the school. The ninja were once again captured by the school's allure, completely forgetting about the horse-thing.

Deidara drew in a quiet breath through his nose. He could have sworn that the school was a mile wide. With a playful frown tugging at the corners of his lips, the blond opened the mental bond with the other three Akatsuki members. Surprisingly, the bond was becoming harder and harder to manage.

'_Why can't our base look like that, yeah?'_

'_Because Pein-sana is an ass and wanted to have a gigantic metal carving of himself to live in.'_

Deidara nearly snorted aloud at Sakura's retort.

'_Why would you __**want**__ to live in a castle?'_ Kisame scrunched up his nose. _'It's too...old. And too damn ugly.'_

Sakura was unable to stifle a quiet snort, while Deidara bit his lip to keep from grinning.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked. Sakura shook her head. Kisame, however, decided to answer.

"Your school looks like a castle," He grunted.

"So?" Ron replied. "It's bloody brilliant, isn't it?"

"It's ugly," Kisame deadpanned. Deidara snickered and Sakura smacked a hand to her face. Itachi felt a familiar sense of annoyance rising in him.

"Wh-what?" Ron stammered.

"Hogwarts isn't ugly!" Hermione protested.

"Of course it isn't, yeah," Deidara agreed. "Kisame here is just being a tight-ass, yeah."

Sakura accidentally let out a rather loud snort and Itachi sighed quietly.

"What the bloody hell what that?" Ron laughed, amusement ringing clearly in his heavily-accented voice. Sakura's face suddenly went completely blank, all traces of laughing gone.

"What was that, Ron-san?"

Deidara quickly scooted away, attempting (and failing) to be discreet. Ron blinked in confusion.

"What?" he asked. "Is something wrong?"

Sakura shot him a bright obviously-fake smile that sent chills up Deidara's spine.

_Whoa, she's PISSED, yeah._

"I would prefer you to refrain from making comments about the sounds I make," was the rosette's sickeningly-sweet reply. Kisame flinched.

"Um...alright," Ron mumbled awkwardly, not really understanding the danger he was currently in. Hermione and Harry exchanged confused looks, while Deidara held in a sigh of relief.

_At least she didn't blow up, yeah._ His lips twitched as he fought a dry smile. _Heh, no pun intended, yeah._

The rest of the short ride was utterly silent. The Akatsuki didn't even bother communicating mentally. It was over far too early for Sakura's taste; she enjoyed watching the stars as their carriage rolled along.

The seven were soon deposited in front of Hogwarts, and the shinobi once again realized just how large the school was. It was amazing.

The Akatsuki members followed the three wizards – and witch – into the school, relieved to find a good-sized group of other students waiting in front of a large door.

"-ryone prepared?" a witch – in her late forties to early fifties at most – questioned. "Very well then. Let us enter the Great Hall."

She turned and pushed the doors open. Sakura, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame were suddenly overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the students. Sakura's ears rang painfully and she winced, her sensitive shinobi hearing quickly becoming a disadvantage. Judging by the others' expression – minus Itachi –, they felt the same. The professor refaced the crowd of students, frowning when she spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione. She beckoned them forward with a small wave of her hand.

"What do the three of you believe you are doing?" she demanded, fixing them with a stern gaze. "You are supposed to already be in the Great Hall with all the rest of the returning students. This group is First Years only."

The trio offered her sheepish smiles of embarrassment.

"You see, Professor McGonagall, we kind of got held up on the wagon," Harry murmured. "We're sorry." She sighed.

"Yes, well, just see to it that it doesn't happen again," Professor McGonagall scolded. The three nodded. "Take your seats then."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione hurried to their seats at the Gryffindor table, earning a few giggles here and there. McGonagall motioned for the First Years to follow her, casting a knowing glance at the four shinobi. They sent her tiny nods of confirmation.

Sakura tried to open the mental connection, but, shockingly, failed. She tried again. Nothing.

_Great. _she thought dryly. _It must be because we're in a different dimension. The only thing supporting the thought-sharing bond is Pein-sama's jutsu, and we're about as far away from him as possible._

_**Well, that's just perfect.**_ Inner Sakura muttered sarcastically.

With a quiet sigh, Sakura spoke to her comrades in their native language.

"_Pein-sama's jutsu no longer has any affect,"_ she whispered. They seemed surprised.

"_Seriously, yeah?"_ Deidara asked softly, unheard by the non-shinobi ears.

The blond and Kisame both made a frustrated face. Apparently, they had attempted – and failed – to establish and utilize the bond.

"_We will deal with that matter later,"_ Itachi murmured, drawing their attention. _"First, we must continue the mission. I believe McGonagall-san wishes to speak with us once we are away from the students."_

"_I thought so, as well,"_ Sakura agreed. _"Right now, however, I do not believe it is wise to speak so openly."_

The other three nodded. They silently agreed to refrain from speaking out loud until they were free of witnesses. The less the students knew, the better.

The shinobis' attention was directed to the front as Professor McGonagall began speaking.

"I will now begin the sorting," she announced.

"Sorting?" Sakura mumbled. Deidara shrugged.

"Abigail Acevedo," she called.

A young girl with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses came forward. She sat on the seat beside McGonagall, who in turn placed an old pointed hat on her head. To the Akatsuki members' shock, the hat began to speak.

"Very loyal," it murmured. "Fairly bright, I see. Very well. Huffelpuff!"

Cheering erupted at a table of students, most of them being female. The young witch smiled and hopped off the seat as McGonagall removed the hat. She took her seat close to the end of the table.

The ninja shared a look. This was something they obviously hadn't expected.

"Collin Ackerdore."

Another student, this time a young wizard, copied the girl before him. He sank onto the seat and the hat spoke again.

"Ah, this one is quite intelligent," it rasped. "Not to brave, though." A few snickers and giggles echoed in the hall, and the boy turned bright red.

With a bored yawn, Sakura turned to her companions.

"This is pointless," she grumbled. "Who cares if they sit at one table or another?"

A faint shout of, "Ravenclaw!" was heard, but they ignored it.

Deidara nodded in agreement. "It'll take too long, yeah," he muttered. "There's a lot of students to be 'sorted', yeah." Kisame sighed.

"Do we really have to stand here the entire time?" Kisame complained. "There's nothing to do."

"You're just pissy 'cause there's no Kiri-nin to kill." Kisame grinned slightly at Sakura.

"You know me well, kitten."

Just as Deidara had predicted, the sorting took a very long time. Throughout the entire time, the four ninja sighed and stood impatiently.

"Timothy Zwatsky," Professor McGonagall called.

Finally, the last boy walked up. He was tall and meek with dark hair and glasses. Sakura pinned him as the type to stutter. He sat down shakily, jumping slightly and squeaking when the hat began talking. He blushed in embarrassment.

"Quite the smart one, I see," the sorting hat said. "It appears that you spend most of your time working on homework. I know just where to put you. Ravenclaw!"

The table cheered (some more enthusiastic than others) and the boy took his seat awkwardly. A few students glanced back at the four remaining curiously.

"Now, everyone," McGonagall began again. "We have four new students with us this year. Professor Dumbledore?" The Headmaster nodded, and she continued. "They are not first years." The Great Hall was suddenly alive with curious and jealous cries. "Silence!" All talking immediately ceased. McGonagall cleared her throat and spoke once more. "These four students are participating in an exchange program. They will be attending Hogwarts for this year only"- she held up her hand to silence the murmurs-"and they are to be treated as you would your closest friends. Hogwarts is excepting them this year in order to strengthen ties with a Witchcraft and Wizardry school located in Japan. If all goes according to plan, there will be great effects."

"But, Professor," a boy suddenly spoke up, standing by his seat at the Ravenclaw table. "If they are from Japan, how will we communicate with them?"

A few murmurs of agreement echoed his question, but it was quiet when McGonagall raised her hand again.

"They have participated in classes that teach the English language," she lied smoothly. "They are able to speak our language fluently, so there is no need to be concerned."

"Where is the school in Japan?" a girl from the Slytherin table questioned.

"It's whereabouts are unknown, other than being in Japan," the professor said firmly, shooting down any other questions with a hard look. "In Japan, it is tradition to call someone by their last name before their first. To honor this, these students will be called in alphabetical order according to their first names in place of their last."

The four Akatsuki members glanced at one another, mentally preparing themselves.

"First up, Dee-day-ray...I apologize, but your last name is not listed." Deidara flinched at the pronunciation of his name. Kisame snorted.

All eyes were on Deidara as he approached Professor McGonagall.

"My name is pronounced 'Deidara Katsu', yeah," he grumbled under his breath.

"I'm terribly sorry," the witch apologized. She announced it to the crowd of students. "Deidara Katsu." A few snickered, seeing as his name sounded completely different from how she had originally said it.

Deidara paused before sitting. He eyed the hat warily as it was placed on his head. The hat seemed to lift it's non-existent head in surprise.

"What's this?" it croaked. "You are quite different from my usual batch." The hat hesitated for a moment as it delved into Deidara's mind. "Ah, you're quite strong, and your intelligence is fair. Very brave; in fact, you seem to be a bit reckless." Giggles from blushing girls sounded, most of them being from the Huffelpuff table. "You enjoy adventure...hm, Gryffindor!"

Very loud clapping and whistles came from the table at which Harry, Ron, and Hermione were seated. McGonagall removed the hat and Deidara stood, glancing at the table uncertainly.

"Take at seat at the applauding table," she explained quietly.

Deidara gave a short, stiff nod and walked to the table. He sat four seats from Harry, facing the far wall. McGonagall continued.

"Eye-tay-chee Uh-chee-hay."

Sakura noticed the Uchiha's eyes twitch and snickered. Kisame chuckled quietly. He strolled to the front silently, earning a few gasps and girlish giggles.

"How do you pronounce you name, young man?" McGonagall asked.

"Itachi Uchiha."

She frowned slightly, almost as if embarrassed for her horrible pronunciation of Japanese names. "Itachi Uchiha." Yet again, snickers sounded.

The hat was placed on his head and, once again, it seemed surprised.

"Another rather odd one," it mumbled. "I'm quite enjoying myself, I must say. Ah, yes. You are a very intelligent young man, yet you don't seem to interact with others very well. Hm, with those circumstance, you could fit into both Ravenclaw and Slytherin." A few sighs of disappointment were heard from the Huffelpuff and Gryffindor tables. "Your emotions are in strictly in check, I see, and you don't appear to have a single shred of fear buried anywhere in your subconscious. Come to think of it, there are nearly no emotions what so ever in your subconscious inner mind. You have much power, though your heart doesn't seem too cold."

Kisame snorted in disbelief and Deidara snickered, biting his lip. Sakura, however, understood the hat's meaning. Itachi had once told her about a mission he had received from the Konoha elders many years previous, when he was still a part of his home village. She had been shocked beyond belief to discover that he didn't kill his clan out of cruelty, but rather because of orders. Sakura had been close to killing his younger brother, Sasuke, but Itachi asked her not to. When she confronted him about it afterwards, he had revealed everything to her. Sakura the remaining Konoha elders, and Itachi himself were the only ones who knew the truth.

"Therefore...Ravenclaw!"

The cheering was extremely loud, fueled mostly by many feminine screams of joy. McGonagall lifted the hat from his head, not even a single black strand of hair shifting. The eldest Uchiha stood and made his way emotionlessly to the Ravenclaw table.

"Kai-say-mee Hoh-shai-gay-kee." Laughter sounded at the sound of his last name, and Kisame scowled.

He made stalked to the front, annoyance coming off him in waves as he ignored Sakura's smirk behind him. The shark-nin didn't wait for McGonagall to ask.

"Kisame Hoshigaki," he muttered.

"My apologies." She faced the students. "Kisame Hoshigaki." The snickers were louder than before.

The hat rested lightly on Kisame's spiky hair, not completely touching his head.

"You're a bit different from the other two," the hat began. "Not nearly as bright, but loyal enough." Laughter ensued and Kisame glared at nothing in particular. "Now, now, there's no need to be upset. Your loyalty is your strongest attribute. Huffelpuff!"

_Huffelpuff?!?_ he thought in disgust. _What kind of name in 'Huffelpuff'?!? And why am __**I**__the one stuck in it?!?_

With a low growl, the tall shinobi trudged to the Huffelpuff table, following the cheering.

"And last, but not least, Say-kuh-ray Hay-ruh-no."

Sakura twitched, her nose wrinkling slightly on the left side. Deidara coughed to hide a laugh, and a smirk twitched on Kisame's frowning lips. She walked almost too quickly to McGonagall, spitting out her own name stiffly.

"Sakura Haruno."

Professor McGonagall seemed a bit startled at Sakura's behavior, but announced it to the students nonetheless.

"Sakura Haruno."

The rosette sat and willed the hat to make haste as it was lowered onto her head. Sakura scowled furiously at it slid right over her eyes and stopped on her nose, a vein threatening to pop on her forehead as laughs and snickers echoed. The wizards and witches seemed to be laughing a lot, lately.

Deidara, however, neither snickered or snorted. He burst into full-blown laughter. Kisame choked on his own breath and coughed out a few throaty chuckles; even Itachi failed to stifle an amused smirk. Sakura wrenched the hat up, setting it back a little so that it wouldn't fall over her face.

_Deidara is DEAD!!_

_**KYYYAAA!! I'LL KICK HIS SKINNY LITTLE ASS!! I'LL TEACH HIM TO LAUGH AT US!!!**_

The hat let out what sounded like an amused laugh, and all noise stopped in the Great Hall.

"Well, well, it appears that you have quite the temper," it said, the hat's tone deep and raspy. Deidara snorted.

_That's an understatement, yeah._

"However, you are extremely bright," the hat continued. "I would even venture so far as to call you a genius. Much like your Ravenclaw friend." Sakura cut her eyes momentarily at Itachi. "Very powerful and very respectable; in fact, you seem to be fearless. _Your_ inner subconscious, however, is full of many negative emotions. Definitely not Huffelpuff."

A few disappointed whispers of, "darn" and "aw, man" came from said table.

"You have a very large amount of anger and dark thoughts located deep inside of your mind, and I must say that it is a bit startling, to say the least." Sakura's eyes darkened and narrowed, and she sent the sorting hat a dangerous glare. "Now, now. Has the saying 'violence is never the answer' been introduced to you?" Sakura's eyes narrowed even further, waves of murderous intentions flowing from her. Inner Sakura was in a fit. "Apparently not."

_**AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH!!!! Hurry UUUP!!**_

"Yes, very well. Just calm down." The hat seemed to take a steadying breath. "Hm, your temper is much too unstable for Huffelpuff, and you are obviously not calm enough for Ravenclaw. Gryffindor might be pushing it. Very well, then, Slytherin!"

Everyone was stunned. The Slytherin table exploded into applause, while the other tables – mainly the Gryffindor table – were too shocked to clap. Deidara's mouth fell open and Kisame raised an eyebrow.

_Kitten won't be too happy about this. She hates all things that relate to snakes, especially Orochimaru._

Itachi simply remained silent, though he seemed a bit _too_ emotionless. Sakura stood quickly, almost growling at Professor McGonagall when the witch didn't remove the hat fast enough for her taste. The professors seemed the most shocked of all, though. A man with greasy black hair and pale skin locked his eyes on Sakura, almost as if trying to judge her abilities and worth.

Sakura walked silently to the Slytherin table, looking every bit as emotionless as Itachi. Only the Akatsuki members could tell that she was furious. Apparently, the sorting hat had poked it's head (or hat) too far into her private memories that she wished to keep secret. The only thing that kept her from ripping it to shreds was the fact that the hat hadn't said anything about her memories.

She sat stiffly beside a boy with slicked-back white-blond hair. Talking bubbled in the Great Hall, almost all of it centered around the shinobi. Dumbledore stood and gestured for them to stop. It was suddenly silent.

Dumbledore smiled warmly.


	5. Magical Food? I Wonder How it Tastes

Here's the next chapter! Heh, this one was fun to write! Oh, and by the way, Dumbledore's speech (except the part about Sakura, Deidara, Itachi, and Kisame) is his exact words in the movie! OwO I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter, and please don't sue me for using Dumbledore's speech! I don't own that either!

Votes:

Itachi: 31

Deidara: 11

Draco: 5

Sasori: 3

Harry: 3

Madara: 2

Fred: 2

George: 2

Pein: 1

Lupin: 1

Hidan: 1

Ron: 1

And don't forget to vote! The 'poll' is still open, and I'll anounce when it's closed.

* * *

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore declared, his voice echoing in the large hall. "Now, I'd like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast..."

The white-blond-haired boy from the train rolled his eyes. Draco, was it?

"No one wants to hear his pointless speech," he muttered. His two companions nodded in agreement, while Sakura watched them from the corner of her eye.

"First," – Sakura glanced back up at Dumbledore – "I'm pleased to welcome Professor R. J. Lupin, who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor."

The four shinobi watched as Lupin stood up from the long professors' table. As applause ensued, Sakura was once again struck with wonder at how he had disappeared on the train.

"Did you see that thing on the train?"

Sakura blinked in surprise after a moment, realizing that Draco was speaking to her. She could faintly hear Dumbledore's voice as he continued, but she replied to Draco.

"Yes," she murmured. "I fought it."

_**And kicked its ass.**_

"We saw you," one of Malfoy's comrades agreed.

"It was probably after Potter," Draco sneered. "They know that he should be removed. Potter's a danger to us all." The other two nodded. "And that Mudblood friend of his needs to be thrown out."

_Mudblood? What does that mean?_

_**No clue, but I bet it's insulting.**_

_Really, now? I never would have guessed._

_**I hope you choke.**_

_If I die, you die._

_**...shut up.**_

Sakura noted that Malfoy had finished talking and opted to tune back in to Dumbledore.

"–tunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by our own Rubeus Hagird."

A very large man with dark brown hair and a frizzy beard stood, shifting the table slightly. An embarrassed expression crossed his face and a few students laughed, Draco included. When the clapping settled down, he retook his seat.

"Also, this year," Dumbledore continued, "Hogwarts has excepted four very special students."

_**That's us!**_

"As Professor McGonagall already said, they are from a Witchcraft and Wizardry school located in Japan, and you are to treat them with respect. They have all completed courses to learn the English language, therefore have no worries about a mis-communication." He smiled. "These students are here to aid in increasing bonds between Hogwarts and their school. I apologize, but I'm afraid I am unable to pronounce the name of the school. Could one of you possibly...?"

Sakura smiled to herself.

_This is his way of saying that he has no clue what we're calling the school._ "It's called Meiyo Jujutsu, Dumbledore-sama," she said, raising her voice just loud enough for him to hear.

He nodded slightly to her, ignoring the murmurs of 'What does 'sama' mean?'

"Thank you, Sakura," he said. "Meiyo Jujutsu. And pray-tell, what does this translate into?"

"Honor Magic."

Deidara couldn't hold in a small grin.

_At least he doesn't butcher our names and words, yeah._

"Finally, on a more describing note," Dumbledore announced, his voice growing grim. "At the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors of Azkaban. Until such a time Sirius Black is captured, the Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the ground. And while I've been assured that their presence won't disrupt our day-to-day activities, a word of caution: Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one that gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you; give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving."

A light suddenly shone in Dumbledore's eyes, perking Sakura's interest.

_What is he–_

"But you know," the Headmaster said softly, unintentionally interrupting Sakura's thoughts. "Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times." As he spoke, Dumbledore waved his hand above a candle. The flame suddenly disappeared.

Deidara's eyebrows shot up and Sakura's eyes widened.

_Whoa._ Kisame thought. _I didn't know wizards could do that._

"–but only remembers to turn on the light." The candle's flame reappeared.

o o o O O O o o o

Sakura stared in shock at the piles of food that loaded the table. It just...came out of nowhere! She glanced up, her eyes wide, to see Deidara and Kisame's expressions mirroring her own. Itachi sat with his back to her, so Sakura couldn't see his face.

"What, never seen magic before?"

Sakura looked up to see Draco watching her in amusement. She blinked.

"...this didn't happen at my old academy," she replied. He seemed surprised.

"Are you serious?" he asked in disbelief.

Sakura nodded, her face completely innocent. "We had to make or bring our own bento," she continued, lying smoothly. She wasn't an S-class Akatsuki member for nothing.

"Bento?" he echoed in confusion. Sakura smiled, causing a light streak of pink to dust his cheeks. He wasn't used to pretty kunoichi smiling at him. But then again, who was?

"I suppose you could call it a lunch box," she explained.

"Oh..." He trailed off awkwardly.

Apparently, he wasn't used to _any_ pretty girl smiling at him. Sakura studied him for a moment.

_According to Ron-san's reaction on the train, he and Draco-san know each other. If they know each other, there's a high possibility that he also knows Harry-san. Draco-san could be a good source of information...hm, he seems pleasant enough. Might as well befriend him._

_**Yeah, just don't get too attached.**_

_Oh, go jump in a lake._

Sakura fixed him with a sheepish, slightly embarrassed smile (which wasn't entirely faked.)

"Your name is Draco, right?" she asked, slipping a nit of nervousness into her voice fore good measure. He blinked in surprise.

"Er, yeah..."

"Draco-san, could you please tell me what that is?" she said, pointing at a plate of strangely-shaped food.

"What does 'san; mean?"

_**Here we go again.**_

"It's an honorific suffix that's added to an equal or acquaintance's name," she explained. "Where I come from, we always use these."

"O-oh." Malfoy paused slightly. "Um...what were you asking?"

Sakura smiled brightly.

"What is that?" she repeated, pointing at the food again.

He gave her a strange look.

"It's chicken."

Sakura stared blankly at the food.

"_That's_ chicken?" Draco continued to give her a funny look. "Where I come from, chicken doesn't look like that. It's small and circular-shaped."

"Oh," he murmured, realization washing over him. "I see. Well, that actually a chicken leg."

Now, Sakura stared at him, her eyes huge.

"That's a chicken _leg_? As in an _entire_ chicken's _leg_?!?" He nodded."_So strange!_ What is it like?"

Draco stared at her for a moment. "What did you say?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry." Sakura grinned sheepishly. "I was saying that this food in strange."

"...oh...Well, it, uh, tastes like any other kind of chicken, really."

"Hm, interesting." _Just wait until Hidan hears about this._

_**Yeah, he'll start killing chickens left and right.**_

_If he can find any._

_**True.**_

Sakura hesitantly reached for a 'chicken leg', pausing for a moment. Draco simply stared at Sakura as though she had sprouted rabbit ears. After another pause, she bit into the chicken leg.

Her eyes lit up as she chewed, swallowing just a few seconds later.

"It's tastes _wonderful_!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise. "It's even better that the chicken I'm used to!"

Malfoy stared for a heartbeat longer before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. A flicker of movement caught her eye, and Sakura looked down.

On the table before her, sat a bowl of steaming hot rice with a pair of chopsticks resting on top. Surprise flooded her expression.

_Rice! But who–?_

She glanced up at Deidara and Kisame, discovering that they had bowls of rice as well. Sakura figured that Itachi also had a bowl, seeing as it would only make sense. She unconsciously glanced at Dumbledore.

He sent her a knowing smile, and Sakura nodded back in gratitude.

_**Have I ever mentioned that I love Dumbledore-sama?**_

_Suck-up._ "So, Draco-san," Sakura murmured, shooting him a charming smile as she ate her rice. "Tell me about Hogwarts."

She received yet another blank stare.

"...what?"

Sakura almost laughed. Instead, her smile widened. "Tell me about Hogwarts," she repeated. "I've never been here, before. What's it like?"

"Er...well, it's big, I guess..." He trailed off awkwardly. He really had n idea how to reply.

"What are the people like here?" Sakura asked, trying to help.

"Oh, well, that's what you meant." Draco seemed to be embarrassed. A few people from the Slytherin table stared at him. Draco was _never_ embarrassed.

"How about the teachers?" _Might as well start off easy._

"Professor Snape teaches potions," he began more confidently. "He's also the head professor of Slytherin. Snape is really the only one that doesn't get on my nerves."

"Which one is Professor Snape?"

"That one."

He pointed, and Sakura followed his indication. A man with chin-length black hair and pale skin sat at the professors' table, looking anything but happy. He cast grumpy glances at Lupin, his slightly-crooked nose giving him a creepy look.

"The one with the black hair?" _The one that looks like a pissed off sissy-bitch?_ Draco nodded. "He seems to be in a foul mood."

Malfoy found himself snickering. "He's always in a foul mood, but he's a better teacher than any of _those_ fools."

_**Oh, yes. Draco is **_**definitely**_** Mr. Happy Sunshine.**_

Sakura didn't reply, but inwardly snorted.

"What about Harry Potter?" she asked smoothly, changing the subject. _Just play it off cool, and don't act too interested._ "He seems rather odd, and you don't appear to have an extensive liking of him."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed. "And what do _you_ think of him?" he demanded.

_**Whoa, **_**some**_**one's getting defensive.**_

"He's troublesome," Sakura replied bluntly. "He doesn't understand the concept of 'get out of the way' and honestly, his brown-haired friend annoys the hell out of me."

Utter silence. He obviously hadn't been expecting that answer.

"Hermione, was it?" Sakura asked without waiting for a reply. When Malfoy nodded hesitantly, she continued. "Hermione is absolutely the most _annoying_ thing I have ever seen. She doesn't shut up, and she questions _everything_."

"The filthy Mudblood needs to go," Draco agreed. Sakura decided against asking the meaning of 'Mudblood', guessing that she probably didn't want to know.

o o o O O O o o o

"Do you believe the mission is going well?"

Madara glanced faintly at Pein, pausing from the scroll he was writing on.

"Yes, I believe so," he answered after a moment, scratching away at the scroll. "Why do you ask?"

Pein didn't reply for a long moment.

"...it is uncommon for shinobi to travel dimensions. And, seeing as the outcomes are astronomically numerous, the possibility that something could go wrong is extremely high."

Madara set down his pen with a sigh, deciding that he would be unable to finished his work until the conversation was over. He folded his hands together and rested his elbows on the desk, placing his chin on his hands.

"Pein, I have traveled between dimensions countless times, and nothing has ever happened to me," he said, staring intently at the Akatsuki Leader. "Why the sudden interest?"

Pein ignored his question.

"You are immortal, Madara," he argued calmly. "My subordinates are not." The eldest Uchiha's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"Are you, perhaps, _worried_ about your subordinates?" he asked, his tone implying that the idea disgusted him.

Pein delivered an icy glare.

"I have lost my subordinates once, and I do not wish for it to happen again," he hissed quietly. "Five of my best were either killed or rendered useless, but I am relieved to say that they were..._fixed_. Akatsuki's only medic is currently participating in a trans-dimension high-risk mission, and if she dies, then there will be no one to ensure that we do not die off."

"Ah, I see," Madara consented. "If Akatsuki loses too many members, then the sealing of the tailed-demons will be delayed or possibly stopped. It takes a great deal of chakra and concentration to seal a demon, and we can't afford to take any risks."

Pein gave a short nod.

"If it becomes apparent that Miss Haruno is unable to continue the mission without extensively harming herself, she will be forced to return. Fair enough?"

"Fair enough."


	6. Fighting is Not Permitted

Thanks to everyone who voted!

Votes:

Itachi: 41

Deidara: 16

Hidan: 11

Draco: 9

Pein: 5

Fred: 5

Madara: 3

Sasori: 3

Harry: 3

George: 3

Lupin: 2

Kisame: 1

Ron: 1

And **draco-harry-SarcasticSadist** brought up a wonderful point!! I wasn't going to put this in the story, but people wanted this so...guess what!! In Naruto (the real story/show, not my fanfic) Sasuke does, in fact, join Akatsuki! So nooooow, he is officially on the voting poll for the Sakura pairing! Along with Suigetsu and Juugo, of course. We can't leave them off. A new addition to the votes, courtesy of **PedroCullenBloomTM**, since she likes SasuSaku stories:

Sasuke: 1

I'm sorry if there's a lot of mistakes! My right hand/wrist is currently in a brace, so it's making it hard for me to type! :(

And now, on to the story! Please read and review, and don't forget to vote for who you want to end up with Sakura! :D

* * *

Sakura sighed as she stared up at the ceiling.

The Slytherin dorms were nothing like her room back at home (if an Akatsuki base could really be considered home; they transferred bases every week or so.) It was a bit unnerving to share a room with so many other girls – not to mention that she had no idea whatsoever who they were –, mostly because the Akatsuki only had two female members, herself included. It was just...strange.

But, she had to admit, she almost missed talking to a girl. Almost.

Konan was the only female she had actually spoken to since her mother and two best friends were killed. It had happened so long ago...

.

.

.

"Hey, Sakura! Open up!"

A long-haired twelve-year-old Sakura ran eagerly to the front door, throwing it open all too quickly. Two girls her age stood on the front porch, one with a wide grin and the other with a more laid-back smile.

The more enthusiastic one – Akatora Furea – had flaming red hair with natural orange highlights and fire-colored eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a flame-shaped ponytail with bangs partially covering her eyes. She wore a black tank top with criss-crossed straps that ended in an upside down v-shape and black pants. Flames were designed beautifully into the fabric.

The second girl – Tori Yuri – had snow-white hair with silver streaks pulled into a swirly ponytail and icy-blue eyes. She wore a silver off-the-shoulder top that also ended in an upside down v-shape with a black tank top underneath and faded blue pants. A black choker with a pale blue teardrop pendant hugged her neck.

"Furea! Yuri!"

"Hey, Sakura!" Furea laughed. "Come on! Sakamaru and Sikomaru are waiting!"

Sakura whirled around as her mother stood quietly behind her.

Her mother – Kikara Kirame, seeing as she dropped her husband's Haruno name – had dark pink hair with pale pink bangs framing her face. Her eyes were the exact same shade as Sakura's. She smiled.

"Go on, Sakura, dear," she murmured.

"Yes!" Sakura cheered, hugging her mother around the waist. "Thanks okaa-san!"

With a grin, she raced out the door with Furea and Yuri.

"Hey, Sa–"

"Sakura?"

Sakura blinked, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. She glanced to the side to see a Slytherin girl looking at her tiredly. Sakura knew the girl's name; she had said it earlier. She just...temporarily misplaced the thought...

Sakura lay there for a moment, her mind resurfacing to the present.

"Hm?" she finally asked.

"What are you doing?" the girl whispered, raising a hand to stifle a yawn. "You look like you haven't slept at all tonight."

Sakura paused.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly, so as not to wake the others. "I just have some things on my mind. Did I wake you?"

The brown-haired girl shook her head. "No, I just–" She cut off to hide another yawn. "I just woke up from a dream and I saw you awake. Are you feeling alright?" Then, the girl's name came to her.

"Yes, thank you, Amelia," Sakura replied. She winced at the pronunciation.

The girl waved it off. "I told you; call me Amy."

Sakura was, yet again, surprised by the girl's kindness. From what she had seen, most Slytherin students were cold-hearted and aggressive.

"You should sleep," Sakura commented, changing the subject. Amy laughed quietly, green eyes showing her amusement.

"Oh, _I_ should sleep?" she murmured. "You're the one that's been awake all night."

"Would you two keep it down! Some of us are actually trying to _sleep_!!"

Sakura scowled in the direction on the voice.

_**Bitch.**_

Amy glared over her shoulder. "Don't mind Melissa. Her manners are quite foul."

A girl with strawberry blond hair and fiery blue eyes raised her head, glaring at Amy. "Say that to my face, you lily-livered muff!" she ground out.

"I said you're a right foul git!" Amy spat back, rolling over and sitting up to face her. Melissa huffed in fury.

Before Sakura knew it, a huge group of Slytherin girls were screaming and cursing at one another.

_**What the hell did we do to deserve this?**_

_Don't ask me._

_**Maybe it's some kind of universal payback for joining Akatsuki.**_

_Karma._

_**Karma's a bitch.**_

_You can say that again._

Oo o oO

Itachi didn't enjoy being woken up before his body decided it was time to awaken. He especially didn't enjoy _why_ he had been woken up.

He sighed, running a hand through his sleep-messy hair.

"Very well," he murmured quietly to the professor before him. "I will be there in a moment."

The professor nodded, walking off stiffly and exiting the Ravenclaw room. Wordlessly, Itachi slipped on the traditional Ravenclaw robes – which he despised – over the black sweat pants he had worn to bed. The Uchiha left the room, not caring if the slam of the door woke any of the other Ravenclaw boys.

When Itachi finally made it out of the Ravenclaw house's dorm, he found Deidara and Kisame waiting for him. Deidara looked like he was asleep on his feet while Kisame wore a pissed expression. McGonagall and Snape stood behind them.

"Right this way," McGonagall said formally, setting off at a brisk pace.

The two professors led the way, while the three Akatsuki members followed. It wasn't long until they reached their destination.

"Sherbert Lemon," McGonagall stated clearly.

Seconds later, a statue inside of a small circular..._room_, for lack of better words, shifted in place. The large statue slowly began turning, climbing higher as it went along. A stairway was revealed beneath it, and the five stepped on. In no time, they were inside Dumbledore's office.

The three shinobi found Sakura sitting quietly in front of Dumbledore. The Headmaster looked up, folding his hands and resting his elbows on his desk.

"Ah, yes," he murmured. "Now that you are all present, I would like to make something clear: please refrain from participating in any fights inside the walls of Hogwarts."

Itachi, Deidara, and Kisame glanced down at Sakura in surprise. She didn't meet their eyes.

"Would you care to explain why Professor Snape found you locked in a heated quarrel with many of the other Slytherin girls?"

The three Akatsuki instantly knew that 'heated quarrel' was a major understatement.

Sakura smiled nervously. "Two girls – Amelia and Melissa – started yelling at each other, and then quite a few others joined in. The twins – Hazelle and Harva – began insisting that I didn't belong here and Amelia jumped to my defense...and then it pretty much went to hell after that."

McGonagall narrowed her eyes at Sakura's choice of words.

"I see..."

It was quiet for a long time.

"Miss Haruno," Snape hissed. "I found you nearly choking the life out of Miss Harva. Do you mind explaining _that_?"

Sakura felt herself pale.

_**Well, the shit has officially hit the fan.**_

"Well, you see...she, uh,...she said I looked like a midget-bitch with year-old bubble gum for hair."

Deidara snorted and Kisame grinned. Itachi forced his eyebrow not to twitch.

It was just like Sakura to attack someone after an insult. She let her emotions have too much power over her, and harboring emotions made shinobi weak.

Though, Itachi mused, Sakura was far from it. She was quick to lash out with anger, but other than that, Sakura hardly ever showed emotion – unless fake smiles counted.

The kunoichi could hold her own in a battle against Itachi (that much alone said she wasn't weak), and she, too, was extremely gifted in genjutsu. Her small size allowed for quicker movement, and her accuracy was top-notch. The girl was a genius in her own right. And though her ninjutsu – other than medical jutsu – wasn't perfect, her taijutsu was very effective. Especially with those chakra-enhanced punches and kicks.

Itachi wondered about that. In fact, he often though about hwere she could have learned such techniques. From what he had seen, Sakura's fighting style was very close to the Sanin Tsunade's – current Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure, if he wasn't mistaken – but she was from _Yukigakure_...

"–I understood?"

Itachi only caught those two words as he returned to the present conversation.

"Yes, Dumbledore-sama," Sakura mumbled. "I promise – it won't happen again."

A small smile flickered on the old wizard's face.

"Yes, very well," he said. "It's quite alright." Sakura nodded to the man. "Now, off to bed; all of you. I suspect that the four of you are quite exhausted. You will need your strength for in the morning."

Prfessors mcGonagall and Snape ushered the four back out of Dumbledore's office and down the twisting stairs.

"_Why's __**we**__ have to get up, yeah?"_ Deidara grumbled as he stepped off of the mobile staircase. The statue retook its position behind them.

"_Because if they send kitten home, they have to send us __**all**__ home,"_ Kisame replied, shooting a grin down at Sakura. The professors didn't seem happy that they were speaking in another language. _"Good job, by the way. I figured Deidara'd be te first to jump someone."_

"_Hey, what's __**that**__ supposed to mean, yeah?!?"_

Sakura scowled at the former Kiri-nin.

"_Shut up, Kisame."_

Oo o oO

"Wake up, Sakura!"

Said kunoichi groaned, gripping a pillow tighter over her head. This was the first time in nearly a year that she'd slept past 3:30, and damn it, she wanted to enjoy it!

"Go away," Sakura mumbled from underneath her pillow.

"But you have to get up!" Amelia objected, tugging at the pillow and failing to remove it. "You're going to be late for breakfast!"

Sakura heaved a sigh.

"Fine," she muttered, suddenly sitting up in bed.

Amelia blinked and stared at her hair. It was sticking up in all directions, and frankly, it was surprising that the..._mess_ was staying balanced on her head.

"Er...your hair," she pointed out. Sakura shot her a dry look.

"Yeah. I can feel it."

The two stared at each other for a long moment.

"...right," Amelia murmured, walking out of the room.

Sakura watched the door as it closed, not moving for a few seconds. She was the only one left in the room. Finally, she slid her legs over the edge of the bed and stood, stretching in a feline-like manner. She let out a sigh of relief as her back popped, moving on to her neck afterwards.

When she was satisfied, the rosette, crouched down to the trunk at her feet. She popped it open and nearly groaned aloud. She had forgotten that she would have to wear those cloaks.

Sakura scowled at the fabric, hoping it would spontaneously combust. But, alas, it didn't. With a huff, Sakura grabbed one of the robes and rose back to her feet. She tugged the dark material over her head and – with difficulty – placed the green and silver tie in its place around her neck. She frowned at the tie.

"Aren't ties for _men_?" she muttered aloud, making a face as she searched for a hairbrush. "Aha!"

She spotted one.

Sakura hadn't brought one – she didn't think she would need it – and she figured that no one would mind if she used theirs. She made her way over to the hairbrush, but suddenly, her foot slipped.

Sakura flipped over completely and landed flat on her back. The robe that she had slipped on was thrown into the air, floating back down gently. It settled lightly on her face.

Sakura ripped the clothing from her face, scowling at the ceiling. This just wasn't her morning.

Oo o oO

Deidara scowled and huffed.

His hair was being difficult.

He hadn't had time to brush it earlier, because he was too busy fending off four or five girls that were trying to play with his hair. His _hair_! If any of them had touched it, they'd all be in itty bitty pieces, courtesy of his clay and his extra mouths.

He tugged a hairbrush through it again, growling when it caught on yet another tangle. He cursed. It didn't usually get this tangled. But, then again, his hair wasn't used to the climate of this world.

"Having trouble?" another Gryffindor student taunted. Deidara glared over his shoulder at the reddish-brown-haired boy. "With that hair, you should be in the _girl's_ dorm! Maybe _they'd_ help you brush it!" He and three other boys started laughing.

A vein popped out in Deidara's forehead.

_Why those little–_

"Hey, what's going on here?"

The four stopped laughing and glanced back, one eyebrow raised. Ron and Harry made their way past the group to find Deidara sitting on his bed, legs crossed and in the middle of forcing a brush through his hair.

"Don't you have somewhere to _be_?" Ron asked rudely.

The four rolled their eyes and stalked off, laughing amongst themselves again. Ron glared at their backs.

"You'll have to excuse them," he said, looking at Deidara. "_Some_ people here just haven't learned anythin' from their mothers." Harry nodded in agreement. Then, the red-head's eye widened slightly in what appeared to be amazement. "Whoa! You said you're from Japan?!?"

Deidara gave him a strange look, uncertainty flashing in his lone visible eye. "...so, yeah?"

"I've never seen clothes like that, before!"

Deidara glanced down at himself. It was nothing special. He was wearing what he always wore beneath his Akatsuki cloak.

A black tank top that turned to fishnet just above the stomach and black sweat pants.

"..."

"I mean, your shirt," Ron corrected, a sheepish look crossing his face.

"Oh, yeah." That was understandable. Now, if he never seen _sweat pants_...

"Well, come on," Harry said. "Breakfast should already be in the Great Hall."

"Give me a minute, yeah," Deidara mumbled. He pulled on his Gryffindor robe over the clothes he had been wearing.

"Is it hard?" Ron asked out of the blue. Deidara paused and looked at him. "I mean, your hair. Is it hard to keep up?"

"Not really, yeah," he replied. Deidara pulled it into his trademark high ponytail and wrapped bandages around his forehead where his headband would have been. "But I'm used to it, yeah."

"Oh..."

Deidara stood before them, standing a good few inches above their heads. "...which way, yeah?"

Harry grinned. "Just follow us."

Deidara stared absently at his hands as he walked. He had placed a cloaking jutsu over his hands, and it was strange not to see a mouth grinning and waving its tongue at him. He sighed and let his arms drop to his sides. He hated not being able to do his art.

Oo o oO

Kisame let out a heavy sigh as he shifted to the edge of his bed, rubbing a palm over his face tiredly. He ran his hand through his hair. The former Kiri-nin rose from his bed, only to clock his head on the arch above. He stumbled back and landing awkwardly on the bed, cursing.

He placed a hand on his injured forehead, shooting a dirty look at the arch. Someone snorted from behind him and Kisame raised himself into a sitting position again. He scowled over his shoulder at the two Huffelpuff boys, and they immediately froze.

_Damn kids._ he though wryly. _I'm getting to old for this._

Kisame may have been in his late twenties, but an aging jutsu had made him seem younger. He was still freakishly tall, even with his shortened height.

He could just imagine what Sakura would say if she had seen that.

"_AHAHAHAHA!! Oh, nice job, fish stick!! That must be a new record!"_

He scowled at nothing in particular, kicking a shoe absently.

Yes, that was _exactly_ what Sakura would say. He could see it now...

Kisame grunted and lifted himself from the bed, ducking to avoid another clunk to the head. He pulled on his robes, taking a moment to scowl down at them, as well. He hated these robes. They were too hard to move in.

He spared a moment to smirk ironically.

_I wonder if kitten's tripped in them, yet._ The thought made him give a short, rough laugh, earning a few weird stares. He paid no attention to the people looking at him. They were all brats, anyway. _Hm...who will be the first to snap and yell about how much they hate the robes? Deidara or Sakura? ...or, maybe myself...I doubt that Itachi would ever yell._

He snorted aloud. Kisame couldn't picture Itachi yelling. No more than he could picture Itachi cuddling his kitten and renaming it Mr. Cuddlemuffin.

He barked a laugh. Now_ that_ had just made his day.

Oo o oO

Itachi sighed quietly.

Apparently, girls were allowed in the boy's dorm, but boys weren't allowed in the girl's dorm. And the girls had taken advantage of that fact.

Itachi was currently surrounded by at least fifteen Ravenclaw girls, all blushing and asking about where he had come from. Every time he was asked a question, Itachi would reply with a blank 'Hn'. But that didn't stop them. The girls seemed to enjoy just hearing his voice.

This was getting ridiculous.

Itachi stood wordlessly, slipping past the group of girls. They watched in interest as he picked up a folded Ravenclaw cloak from his night stand. A few of them ogled at the muscles that showed beneath his fishnet shirt.

Once the cloak was on, he pulled is hair into a low ponytail and walked out. The girls sat on his bed for a moment, confused. And then, they all raced out of the room, calling his name and begging for him to 'wait up'.

Itachi ignored them completely. He hated fangirls. With a fiery passion.


	7. Unfogging the Future

Viola! The next chapter! :D This story is so much fun to write, and I'm glad that so many people like it! The votes just keep hurtling in (yay!), and well...Itachi's winning by a freaking landslide. o.O So, yeah. Here's the votes!

Votes:

Itachi: 46

Deidara: 18

Hidan: 12

Draco: 9

Pein: 6

Fred: 5

George: 3

Madara: 3

Sasori: 3

Harry: 3

Lupin: 2

Kisame: 1

Ron: 1

Sasuke: 1

Suigestu: 1

Thanks to everyone who voted, and please don't forget to review! ;D

* * *

A dark streak flashed through the forest, sticking unconsciously to the shadows. Dapples of sunlight peeking through the canopy above splashed down on the figure, lighting up parts of its clothing. White. Black.

The forest was deathly silent, and a single leaf fluttered to the ground, slowly making its descent. Just inches from the forest floor, the leaf was thrown back into the air. Three more flashes darted by, in the direction of the first.

Finally left to its own devices, the leaf settled lightly on the ground, a thin beam of bright sunlight washing it a lovely jade-green.

The four figures continued on at a blindingly-fast pace. A lone raindrop slipped from the sky.

Oo o oO

Rain fell heavily in all directions, soaking all with cool water and an invisible trace of chakra. Two shinobi clad in dark cloaks stood upon a tall metal building, giving no care whatsoever to the wetness of their clothing. One stood with a hood drawn over his face, while the other was situated a few feet behind the first, staring blankly at the rain pattering on his hand.

"Pein."

Ringed gray eyes glanced up.

"Is he here yet?"

"No."

The only sound surrounding the two was the pitter-patter of rain. Thunder roared in the distance.

Suddenly, the second figure's head snapped up, eyes narrowing. The first figure glanced wordlessly over his shoulder at him, red eye blazing in anticipation beneath a single eye hole.

"He's here," the second shinobi murmured.

"Good. I'll send him a little welcoming party."

The gray-eyes man cast a suspicious glare at the masked figure. The red-eyed man laughed darkly.

"Now, Itachi will see his younger brother corrupted as he had always hoped wouldn't happen," he vowed, a smirk flickering on his lips. "Sasuke is mine, now, and there's nothing Itachi can do about it."

Oo o oO

Sakura stared blankly at the book before her.

She had received her schedule in the Great Hall when she went down for breakfast, and now she was sitting in her first class: Divination with Professor Trelawney. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Deidara were also in this class, but something was a bit off about the brunette. In fact, there's something a bit off about the _teacher_. A _big_ something.

Since the four shinobi had been placed in different houses, she could only have a class with them one at a time. (Only two houses per class). And that still didn't mean that the other Akatsuki would be in her class; she just hoped they would. (And thank Kami Deidara was in this class, because there was _no way_ Sakura wanted to be alone with this nutbar teacher.)

Trelawney had told them to partner up, so – naturally – Sakura and Deidara had stuck together. (Apparently, students from different houses weren't allowed to be partners, but the professors were going to turn a blind eye to the shinobi; it just made things easier.) Harry and Ron had paired up, but then Hermione was suddenly with them. Judging by Ron and Harry's expressions, she wasn't the only one who though that Hermione hadn't been there a moment ago.

Now, Sakura and Deidara were attempting to decipher the soggy brown mess on the bottom of their tea cups. They both stared blankly at pages five and six of _Unfogging the Future_. (And the books read backwards! They couldn't make any sense of them!)

"Hey, that one looks like the thing in your cup," Sakura mumbled, pointing to a dark shape in the book. Deidara stared at it.

"Sort of, yeah," he agreed. "And that one looks like your, yeah."

Sakura glanced at the picture and then the clump of dark brown _stuff_ in her tea cup.

"Yep. I'd say so."

The two sat in an awkward silence.

"So, uh...what does it mean, yeah?"

"I have no idea."

They exchanged uneasy glances. Sakura raised her hand.

"Professor Trelawney?" she called.

The professor turned and looked at her, eyes magnified many times larger than normal, courtesy of her enormous glasses. She blinked.

"Yes, dear?"

"Um...we can't read the book..."

Everyone stared at the two shinobi. Trelawney was silent for a moment. Then, she spoke.

"...you can't?"

"No."

"Not at all?"

"Not at all."

She frowned.

"...oh. Well, that's not good."

Deidara smacked a hand over his face.

"_Really, yeah?"_ he said dryly. _"I never would have guessed, yeah."_

Sakura slapped him upside the head. A few snickers ensued.

"_Be nice."_

Trelawney made her way over to the two, large eyes curious. "Let me see your teacup, dear."

Sakura passed her Deidara's cup. The professor looked at it for a moment.

"You will experience great suffering in your life, but you will become much stronger because of it. Your name will be famous some day, and the person you love currently does not know of your affections."

Deidara's face blazed red. A few people laughed, while a couple others wondered how he was going to be famous. Sakura looked at him blankly.

"_...you're in love with someone?"_

"_Shut up, yeah! This is just some cheap crap that doesn't mean anything, yeah!"_

Sakura's face was completely unreadable. _"Deidara...now, I'll still be your friend if this is the case, but it'll be a little uncomfortable..."_

Deidara swallowed hard. _Oh shit, yeah. "N-nani, yeah?"_ he stammered, the redness on his face increasing. Many students watched on in fascination, wondering what the two could possibly be saying. Trelawney eyed Deidara with a knowing look.

"_Are you...in love with Kisame?"_

Deidara fell from his chair, head clunking against the floor. He gripped the table and lifted himself so that he could see Sakura. She was deadly serious. His face went white and a sickened expression took over.

"_Are you NUTS, yeah?!?"_ he nearly yelled. _"That's just–!!"_ He broke off, shuddering. _"That's just SICK, yeah!!"_

Sakura studied him calmly.

"Oh. Good. You aren't lying." Sakura didn't even notice that she had switched back to the other language.

"Of course I'm not, yeah!" he shot back, looking about ready to surrender his breakfast. "How did you even _think of that_, yeah?!?"

Sakura's expression remained cool.

"It's always a possibility."

"It will _never_ be a possibility, yeah!"

Sakura held up her hands calmly. "I'm just say'n."

"Then _don't_ say, yeah!"

Trelawney cleared her throat. The two shinobi turned their heads to look at her.

"What (yeah)?" they asked at the same time. Trelawney bit back a smile.

"It's time to get back to the lesson," she hinted.

"Oops. Gomen." No one understood the meaning of 'gomen', but no one asked.

"Now, as I was saying," the professor continued, glancing down at Deidara's cup once more. She began turning it counterclockwise. "Oh, my. The falcon...my dear, you have a deadly enemy." Deidara snorted and Sakura shot him a reprimanding look. "The club...an attack. Dear boy, this is not a happy cup." Everyone was silent. "The skull...danger in your path...The arrow...injuries. Oh, my. Dear, your cup doesn't look too bright."

"_I've could've told her that, yeah,"_ he muttered.

"_Quiet!"_ Sakura hissed.

Trelawney sent Deidara a sympathetic look, but he brushed it off. Danger was the life of a shinobi.

"Here. Let me take a peep at _your_ cup, dear."

Sakura handed over her teacup without hesitation, reclaiming Deidara's and setting it on the table. The blond pulled himself back into his chair.

"Let me see..." She began rotating the cup, just as she'd done with Deidara's. "The falcon, the club, the skull, the arrow...dear, your's is very similar to his." She frowned in confusion and looked up at the kunoichi. "Are the two of you close?"

"You could say that," Sakura replied. Deidara snorted again, and she glared at him. "All four of all are pretty close."

"I see..." She looked back down at the teacup, resuming with her devices. "Ah. Now here's something that he didn't have: you have the broken heart." Trelawney cast her a sorrowful glance. "You will have great pain because of someone you love."

Sakura blinked. "You mean...someone I love is going to hurt me?" Deidara cracked his knuckles, eyes narrowing. Sakura made a face at him.

"No, not quite," the woman disagreed. "More along the lines of...someone will hurt you _because_ of the person you love." Sakura's face was emotionless.

"When you say 'the person I love', do you mean a very dear friend or someone I actually love?" Trelawney closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"I don't know." Sakura nodded absently, staring down at her hands. The professor continued. "Oh! What's this?" All eyes were on her. "I haven't seen this one in quite a while." She smiled up at Sakura. "The equally-proportioned cross: dear, you are going to save someone's life!"

Deidara snorted loudly.

"What's new, yeah?" he muttered. Sakura twitched.

"You ungrateful..."

"Do you mind interpreting?"

Both shinobi returned their attention to the teacher.

"You said 'what's new'. Do you mean to say that she has saved many lives before?"

Now, everyone was watching Sakura, but awaiting Deidara's answer.

"_You answer that, and die,"_ Sakura said coldly. The blond paled. _"We're supposed to be __**inconspicuous**__, remember?"_

"Oh, uh...nothing, yeah..."

Obviously, none of them bought it. After a moment of waiting, Trelawney was turning the teacup once more. It slipped from her fingers and shattered on the floor. A few people gasped. Her eyes stared sightlessly at her hands where she had been holding the teacup just moments before.

"O-oh, my..."

Sakura and Deidara – along with the rest of the class – watched her in confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Sakura asked.

Trelawney raised her head, eyes widened and fearful. Her gaze bore into the rosette's, a haunted look taking over her expression.

"The Grim...you have the Grim..."

Oo o oO

Itachi sat silently in his Arithmancy class, completely ignoring the professor. He had no need to learn any of this. Therefore, he saw no need to pay attention. Kisame had decided the same, and settled for attempting to sleep in class. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

Itachi wasn't foolish enough to try and sleep. The teacher was going to see Kisame any minute.

"Boy! Wake up!"

A long, thin stick slapped Kisame's hand, jolting him out of his dreams.

"What?"

The class laughed and snickered. The teacher scowled.

"Young boy, if you want to sleep, do it on your own time! You will not be dozing off in my class! Is that understood?!?"

Kisame peered blankly at the man. "Uh...yeah..."

The professor didn't look too happy at Kisame's choice of words, but he nodded anyway.

This time, a smirk appeared on Itachi's face. Like I said, Itachi wasn't foolish enough to try and sleep.

Oo o oO

A large, old house stood in the snow-covered land, a mile or so from any towns. Its roof was covered in thick white clumps, and a few windows were broken. Inside, it was completely furnished, but covered in many years worth of dust. There wasn't a soul around.

Around the back of the cold house was a frozen yard. Snow covered everything, blanketing he entire yard with beautiful white specks. Three smooth, rectangular stones stood in the middle, and dead flowers lay in front of each. Words were engraved into the middle dark stone.

_Kikara Kirame_

_Loving mother and a beautiful person._

_May her soul rest peacefully._

The snow covering the two side stones fluttered off, revealing words on them as well.

_Akatora Furea_

_A good friend and a wonderful girl._

_May her soul rest peacefully._

_Tori Yuri_

_Older sister and life-long friend._

_May her soul rest peacefully._


	8. Gryffindor and Slytherin

Wow. I mean, just WOW. It is even POSSIBLE to write such a shit chapter after that long of a wait? (Apparently, it is...) I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been focused on ATWSS for a while, so it kind of got pushed aside... This chapter is so short and full of crap, but there's no way I'm gonna put it on a haitus. So, uh, try to enjoy it. (Keyword: TRY)

Please read and review, and don't forget to vote! (Not like it's gonna make much of a difference. Itachi's one away from fifty.)

* * *

Votes:

Itachi: 49

Deidara: 23

Hidan: 17

Draco: 10

Pein: 6

Fred: 5

George: 3

Madara: 3

Sasori: 3

Harry: 3

Lupin: 2

Kisame: 1

Ron: 1

Sasuke: 1

Suigestu: 1

Sakura just barely stifled a huff of annoyance.

Ever since Professor Trelawney had announced 'You have the Grim!', everything had gone downhill. Apparently, their charge also had 'The Grim'. Sakura had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but she could really care less.

_This is so stupid._ she grumbled inwardly. _It's just some ugly little shape made out of tea leftovers. Big freak'n deal._

_**Seriously. Why is everybody so afraid of this big bad 'Grim'?**_

_I've got no clue, but since when is fortune-telling worth anything?_

_**Never. What are we supposed to do – stop in the middle of a battle and check our fortune? Oh yeah. That's**_** really**_** gonna help.**_

Sakura sighed, resting her cheek in her palm. Deidara copied her motions. Her eyebrow raised. His did as well.

_**Two can play at that game.**_

Sakura turned her head to sit her chin on her hand. Deidara did the same. They stared each other down.

Silence.

A few of the students had sensed the tension and turned to watch the show. Others were nudging their neighbors and pointing it out. Among them was the charge and his companions, and Draco and his crew.

Sakura made a childish face at Deidara, and he threw the same back. Draco snorted and Ron snickered. A few quiet laughs spread through the room.

Sakura lifted both hands to either side of her face. Deidara mirrored her action. They both slapped their hands onto their cheeks. Then, suddenly, both of their expressions went blank. They each dropped their left hand and pointed at the other with their right.

"You're copying me," Sakura deadpanned.

"So, yeah?" Deidara asked bluntly.

"Why are you copying me?"

"Because I'm bored, yeah."

"Then go copy someone else."

"Too late – I'm already copying you, yeah."

"What could be so fun about copying me?"

"Because you're weird and hard to predict, yeah."

A vein twitched on Sakura's forehead, but Deidara wasn't able to mirror it.

"Who's the _real_ weird one around here?"

He suddenly acquired a matching vein on his forehead.

"The one with pink hair, yeah," he ground out.

Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"What about the one that looks like a girl?" she shot back.

A couple gasps sounded and Deidara's eyes narrowed. A few of the guys snickered, Draco included.

"What about the one that's _supposed_ to be a girl, yeah?"

Everyone sat on edge as the temperature dropped a few degrees.

"What?" Sakura hissed.

Deidara felt very scared all of a sudden, but he was too far in to back out now.

"You heard me, yeah." At least his voice didn't quiver.

No one noticed that the class had ended a few seconds earlier. They also didn't notice the door beginning to open as Sakura leapt across the table at Deidara.

o o o O O O o o o

Sakura and Deidara sat in Dumbledore's office, heads hung in shame. Expressions that clearly spelled out 'Oops' adorned their faces. Itachi and Kisame stood on either side of the two, one smirking and the other emotionless. Dumbledore sat at his desk, folded hands resting against his lips.

"I believe I made myself clear the first time," the Headmaster stated quietly. Sakura and Deidara winced. "Please refrain from engaging in any other fights. I cannot have my students endangered."

"Gomen, Dumbledore-sama," Sakura mumbled, face hot with embarrassment. "It won't happen again." Deidara nodded in agreement.

"Is that not what you said the last time?" The pair flinched.

_**Wow. Nice going, Sakura.**_

_Get lost. You weren't much help._

_**Geez. Don't bite my head off.**_

_Beat it!_

"Have no worries," Dumbledore continued in his quiet, powerful voice. "I have no intention of sending you all away; Mister Madara is quite a close acquaintance of mine. I know that he does not take well to failure or inability to complete an assignment."

_**Oh, how right you are.**_

_Very._

_So, so true, yeah._

"But," Dumbledore stated, eyes glittering apologetically, "if my students are in danger, I will be forced to send you both home. I do not wish to do so, but I must keep the best interest of the school in mind."

"Understood, Dumbledore-sama," Sakura murmured, bowing her head. "We will control ourselves." Dumbledore gave a small nod and a smile. Sakura raised her head slightly, eyes flickering, but said nothing.

"Is there something...you wish to tell me?"

Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.

_**Mind reader?**_

_No; if he could read our minds, he would have sent you and me away a long time ago._ "Actually...yes, Dumbledore-sama."

"Go on," he murmured, motioning gently with his hands for her to speak.

Deidara and Kisame glanced at her in confusion, while Itachi's face remained passive.

"Is there some place where we could train?" Sakura asked.

"Hm? Whatever do you mean?"

"You know we are shinobi," Sakura said levelly. "And if you were stranded in our world for some time, you must have seen other shinobi constantly training and honing their skills."

"Ah, yes," the Headmaster agreed. "I remember Mister Madara practicing his fighting abilities many times. Very well. You may train outdoors on the Hogwarts grounds."

The three – not four, seeing as Itachi's face never changed – seemed uncertain.

"But then, wouldn't the students notice our..._unique_ fighting style? We don't use magic, after all..."

Dumbledore appeared to think it over.

"Yes, you have a point," he murmured, rubbing his beard. "Ah. I know. You will have to use your..._jutsu_ with your wands outside, for I cannot have my school damaged. But for anything strictly physical, you may use the Room of Requirement."

"'Room of Requirement'?" Sakura echoed.

"It is a particularly useful room," Dumbledore explained faintly, a faraway twinkle coming into his eyes. "Whatever one needs will be presented in it."

Sakura and Deidara exchanged surprised glances.

"Could it even provide things that we may need from our world?" the medic asked.

"I don't know," Dumbledore admitted. "It probably will, but no one has ever needed something from another world."

Sakura smiled.

"I think the Room of Requirement would be perfect."

Dumbledore smiled as well.

"Splendid." He met Sakura's eyes evenly. "Is there still something that you...wish to tell me?"

Sakura's smile turned sheepish.

_Caught again._ "Yes, Dumbledore-sama," she said in slight embarrassment. "Forgive me if this sounds impolite, but I don't believe our living arrangements are suitable..."

"How so?"

She once again had her companions' attention.

"I believe that we should be transferred to either a single or two houses."

"Is that so?" Dumbledore inquired in surprise. "And why is that?"

"It would make our job much easier if we could communicate freely," Sakura explained. "And since the Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses always share the same classes, Kisame and Itachi are unable to keep an eye on Harry-san."

"I understand," the elderly wizard said quietly. "A student has never once changed houses in the history of Hogwarts, but I believe this time, I will make an exception."

o o o O O O o o o

Since the four of them had been sent to Dumbledore's office, they were all very late to their second class. The Headmaster had changed their schedules – well, a couple of their schedules – and given new ties to Itachi and Kisame. Itachi was now officially in Slytherin, and Kisame in Gryffindor.

Sakura glared at the floor as they walked to their now-shared class. She had hoped to be put in Gryffindor, but _nooo_. She heaved a sigh. At least she wasn't alone anymore.

They all stopped outside a door. Sakura checked the schedule again to make sure it was the right room. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The muffled talking inside the room stopped, and the sound of light footsteps reached them. The door opened a moment later, revealed a slightly-irritated McGonagall.

"Ah," she said is surprise. "The both of you have finally decided to come to class, have you?"

Sakura and Deidara winced invisibly. McGonagall's eyes roamed to Itachi and Kisame.

"And why are you two here?"

"Dumbledore-sama changed our houses and schedules," Itachi replied smoothly. The professor's eyes widened. She glanced down at their ties, and sure enough, their houses had been changed.

"I see," she murmured after a moment. "Very well, then. Come in."

McGonagall stepped away from the door, leaving it open for them to enter.

"Take your seats," she said gruffly. "Itachi, Kisame" – they tried not to twitch at the pronunciation of their names – "since I was not informed of this change, your animals were not brought into the classroom. You both will have to take turns with your friends. Sakura, Deidara, take your pets."

That was fine by Kisame. (He had never gotten a pet; he was sharing the owl – Taki – with Deidara.)

Sakura smiled when she spotted Haran in a cage at the back of the classroom, right next to Taki. She walked forward, ignoring the whispers of 'what are Huffelpuff and Ravenclaw doing here?', and grabbed both cages. Deidara took the owl from her and claimed the first open seat he found, Kisame sitting next to him. Sakura took the seat on Deidara's other side – at a different table – and Itachi took the one next to her.

"Class, quiet down," Professor McGonagall declared. The whispers immediately halted. "Both Mister Itachi and Kisame had been transferred to Gryffindor and Slytherin." And just like that, loud objections rang through the room. "Students, cease this at once!" It didn't work.

"Why'd they get switched?" Lavender Brown called.

"That can't be allowed!" Hermione added. "It _must_ be against the rules!"

"Silence!"

The class flinched, going quiet at McGonagall's angry voice.

"Professor Dumbledore has decided to transfer them, and you will not question his judgement!" she snapped. "Continue on with the lesson!" She glanced at the four shinobi. "I'm sorry; I thought there would be enough time to teach you all what you missed, but it seems that I was mistaken."

A quick glance at the clock and schedule times proved that.

"It's not a problem, McGonagall-san," Sakura answered for them. "We will learn it...the day after tomorrow." She noticed with a small frown that the classes rotated every other day. Professor McGonagall gave a slight nod.

No sooner than she nodded, class was dismissed.

_**That was pointless.**_ Inner Sakura muttered. _**We just now sat down.**_

Sakura sighed as she put Haran back where she had been, soon followed by Deidara and Taki. The medic stuck her fingers through the cage and petted her cat.

"Ja ne, Haran-hime," she whispered. _"I'm sorry that I have to go._ _I'll make it up to you_; _I promise."_

Kisame rolled his eyes and Deidara snorted. Sakura sent them both sharp glares. They said nothing.

"Hn. What does the schedule say?" Itachi murmured.

Sakura pulled the paper from her pocket and unfolded it, looking it over.

"Next is...ah. Next is lunch." Kisame seemed to sigh in relief. "After that, we have Care of Magical Creatures, and then the day is over."

"Thank Kami, yeah," Deidara grunted.

"Tomorrow, we'll have double Potions in the morning, and Defense Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon. We just repeat those every other day."

"That's confusing, yeah," the blond muttered as all four walked out of the classroom. "Why can't we just go to each one every day, but cut the classes shorter, yeah?"

Sakura shrugged.

"Maybe it's more efficient this way."

The four didn't speak again until they reached the Great Hall a few minutes later.

"Itachi, Kisame," Sakura said to get their attention, They both looked at her. "You're sitting with us, now."

"Yeah yeah," Kisame muttered, waving it off. "We got it."

Sakura took a seat beside Malfoy, and Itachi sat on her left. Deidara sat beside Ron, and Kisame sat across from him, beside Hermione. Food sat in bowls before them, along with silverware and goblets filled with water.

Sakura looked down at the food uncertainly.

"What is it?" she asked no one in particular.

"It's called stew," a girl named Pansy Parkinson snickered. "Or are you too _stupid_ to figure that out?"

Sakura glared at her, and Itachi sent the girl a cold look, freezing her on the spot.

"Hn," he grunted.

They both murmured silent 'Itadakimasu's and paused. Sakura picked up a spoon.

"_What a strange instrument," _she commented._ "I suppose this is what they use instead of chopsticks."_ Itachi agreed.

Everyone within hearing range stared at her, not comprehending a single word of what she had said.

"_Look at them,"_ she sneered, dipping the spoon experimentally into her 'stew'. She gave no indication that she was saying anything bad about the people around her. _"It's so amusing to see them like that. They haven't got a clue what I'm saying."_

"Hn. _When are we supposed to contact Leader-sama?_" He copied her actions.

Sakura took a sip of her stew. _"This stuff isn't bad,"_ she mused. Itachi gave a quiet 'hn'. _"After five days. We'll have to figure out a way to get a scroll to him, though. I have many in my pack, so we won't have to worry about running out."_ She paused for a moment. _"How do you think we'll get back?"_

"_We will most likely be forced to return to the place at which we arrived,"_ Itachi replied quietly. _"That would be my theory."_

Sakura considered it for a moment. _"I think we should ask Dumbledore-sama for one of those 'port-keys'."_

Draco caught the word 'Dumbledore', and wondered absently what they could be talking about. Itachi glanced at Sakura from the corner of his eye.

"_Ah. That would be the better decision."_

Sakura looked at him in surprise.

"_It isn't every day that the great Uchiha Itachi admits a girl out-thought him."_ She received the infamous 'Uchiha Death Glare' in return. _"I'm honored, Itachi."_

Itachi grunted, eyes closing when he realized that his glare wasn't having the effect he'd hoped for. He said nothing more. Sakura shot him a dirty look as she took a bite of her stew.

"_You Uchiha's are all alike."_

Congratulations, Sakura. You are now the winner of yet another Uchiha Death Glare, copyright of the Uchiha Clan of Konohagakure.

"_You're almost as bad as Madara,"_ she muttered. _"Thank Kami that I've never met your brother. I think I'd go insane."_ Itachi remained silent, not even gracing her with an uneffective glare. _"Don't get me wrong; I respect the not-talking part, because I do that, myself. But the whole 'I-am-holier-than-thou' shit is getting old."_

Another death glare.

"Hn. You're annoying."

Sakura twitched, glaring at Itachi.

"And you're ugly, but that's not gonna change, either, is it?"

Super Uchiha Death Glare times two.

A few guys snickered at the comment, and Pansy seemed to be insulted by the insinuation. Itachi continued to glare for a moment before a blank expression took over. He placed his spoon down and stood.

"Oh, _real_ mature, Itachi," Sakura retorted. "What– are you running away because I didn't swoon over you like some stupid little bimbo?"

A couple people gasped.

"I don't believe it is me that's immature."

Sakura glared furiously after him.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Itachi didn't answer as he left the Great Hall to do Kami-knows-what.

"Bastard!"


	9. Saying Goodbye

Hello, again! I'm feeling a bit better today (thank you, **Satsujin Akuma**!) so I went ahead and typed up the next chapter! :) WARNING: loads of utter cow dukey up ahead. You have been warned!

I'm not proud of this chapter at all. I wanted it to turn ou better than this, but I'm too lazy to rewrite it. Bite me. -_-' Alright, the voting poll is officially CLOSED!! Here are the final scores:

Votes:

Itachi: **53**

Deidara: **29**

Hidan: **19**

Draco: **13**

Pein: **6**

Fred: **5**

Harry: **4**

George: **3**

Madara: **3**

Sasori: **3**

Sasuke: **3**

Lupin: **2**

Kisame: **1**

Ron: **1**

Suigestu: **1**

Sakura X Everybody: **1**

I apologize to **rebellious-and-ditzy-bookworm** and **RAWR!**! I'm really sorry! I had intended for the poll to go on two or three more chapters, but I really doubt anyone's going to pass Itachi... ^^; Anyways, I hope you all like it! Please read and review!

* * *

Where exactly is Itachi? Why, outside of Dumbledore's office, of course. And why is he outside of Dumbledore's office? To find a portkey inside the office. And why is he going to do that? To run awa– take a look at it. And how did he get there at this time of day without anyone noticing? With a very nice little genjutsu.

Itachi stared blankly at the statue in front of him. Students weren't allowed to go in unless they needed to speak with Dumbledore. Itachi let out a quiet 'hn'.

Well, it was as good a place as any. But just as the Uchiha was taking a step, a familiar voice called out to him.

"_Itachi!"_

He glanced over his shoulder with an eyebrow raised. Sakura raced towards him, hair flinging back in the self-created wind.

"_Why did you follow me?"_ he asked emotionlessly.

"_Baka!"_ she practically screamed. _"What the __**hell**__ do you think you're doing?!"_

Itachi was a bit bemused that she had dared to call him a baka.

"_We're not allowed in there!"_ she hissed. _"Do you want to get yourself __**killed**__?!"_ By killed, Itachi knew she was referring to Madara once he found out what he was doing.

"_I was merely going to take a look,"_ Itachi stated simply.

"_Take a look, my foot!!"_ Sakura growled. _"You don't think I'd actually __**believe**__ that load of crap, did you?!"_

Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly.

"_Hn."_

"_Itachi, what is the matter with you?!"_ she groaned, running a hand through her hair. _"Kami, you can be so __**irritating**__!!"_

"_You're annoying."_

"_And you're still ugly."_

They silently glared at each other.

"_By the way, do mind explaining how a __**genjutsu**__ managed to suddenly pop up around you? Hm? Don't tell me– you're going to hightail it back home."_

"_Hn."_

Sakura threw her arms into the air in exasperation.

"_You're __**impossible**__! Do have __**any**__ idea how much trouble you'll be in if you do that?! You have __**got**__ to be one of the __**stupidest**__ people I have ever __**met**__!!"_

"_Go back to the Great Hall,"_ Itachi ordered. Sakura glared at him.

"_No."_

Itachi's Sharingan activated and swirled in his eyes, and Sakura scowled dangerously at his forehead.

"_Don't you __**dare**__ use Sharingan on me!!"_ she hissed, fury rolling off her in waves.

"_Go back to the Great Hall, and I will not be forced to use extreme measures."_

"_Extreme measures?! Who the fuck do you think you are?!"_

Itachi was getting slightly irritated by his pink-haired comrade, and that surprised him. Uchiha Itachi rarely felt any kind of emotion.

"_Hn."_

He turned on his heel and walked towards the statue. Sakura gaped after him for a moment before running to catch up.

"_Hey! HEY!!"_ she screamed after him. _"Where do you think you're going?! You are NOT about to bail out on this mission!!"_

Itachi said nothing and continued walking. Steam practically flew from Sakura's ears as she skidded to halt in front of the Uchiha, forcing him to stop as well. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"_If you run away from this, I'll make sure_ _you become reacquainted with your internal organs!!"_ she spat.

"_I am not running away from anything,"_ Itachi stated coldly. _"I feel I cannot continue working with you; it is becoming most troublesome."_

Sakura jabbed a finger into his chest as she ground out her next words.

"_You listen to me, and you listen good. The mission comes first, and if we hate each other during the entirety of it, then fine. We can rip each other's throats out when this is over, but right now we need to focus on protecting Harry-san and finding Orochimaru and Voldemort. And if you chicken out on us now, you'll wish that you were never born. Got it?"_

Itachi glared down at her, and Sakura returned it with all the fiery rage she could muster. But as soon as she met his eyes, it was all over.

Sakura's eyes snapped open wide, then drifted closed painfully slow. Her body fell down limply, but never hit the floor. Itachi flashed to the entrance of the Great Hall and placed her gently beside the doorway. They would find her there, and when she woke up, he'd be gone.

Itachi allowed himself to brush the thin strands of hair from her eyes, murmuring a quiet apology before darting away to Dumbledore's office.

He wasn't running away. No, it was completely different. When Sakura mentioned his brother, she had struck a cord; but when she said his name barely a second after uttering Madara's name, something had darkened in his chest. During the past two days of this mission, Itachi had forgotten entirely about Sasuke and Madara. He wasn't sure why, but Sakura seemed to be distracting him...

But now that it had reared its ugly head again, Itachi had an instinctual feeling in his gut; and it wasn't good. Something told him – and he wasn't quite sure what that 'something' was – that his brother was about to show up very soon. And since Madara had revealed himself as Master of the Akatsuki – not to the whole world; just to the Akatsuki – he knew it could only be bad. If Madara got a hold of his brother, Itachi would never be able to forgive himself.

So, he had to go back. He had to make sure that Sasuke and Madara never met, and he had to keep his brother away from Akatsuki.

o o o O O O o o o

Kisame and Deidara watched with raised eyebrows as Itachi left the Great Hall. A few other students had noticed as well, and many of them were staring. They glanced over at Sakura to see her glaring after the Uchiha. She appeared to mutter something under her breath before rising from her table as well. Kisame and Deidara exchanged confused looks as the medic stalked out of the Great Hall.

"_What was that about, yeah?"_ Deidara asked his companion quietly. A few Gryffindor's turned to stare at them, having no clue what he'd just said.

"_Beats me,"_ Kisame muttered. _"Kitten didn't look too happy, though."_

"_You think they got into a fight, yeah?" _Deidara suggested.

"_Maybe."_

They were quiet as they continued to eat their 'stew'. Then, both stiffened a moment later when they felt Sakura's chakra spiking erratically. The two looked at each other warily, slightly relieved that no unplanned 'earthquakes' shook the school. Her chakra continued to spike, causing them both to flinch. Then, suddenly, both her and Itachi's chakras flared before dying back down.

"_What the–"_

But Deidara didn't get to finished his sentence as both of their chakras suddenly appeared right outside of the Great Hall. And then Itachi's took off in the opposite direction. Sakura's chakra signature just sat right outside the door, but she didn't come in.

"_Something's wrong, yeah,"_ Deidara stated, frowning.

Both he and Kisame stood.

"Deidara?" They forced themselves not to flinch at Hermione's pronunciation. "Kisame? Where are you going?"

Neither Akatsuki member answered as they made their way to the doorway, slipping outside. Dumbledore watched with a curious expression. Deidara and Kisame froze when they saw Sakura laying unconscious on the floor.

"_Sakura-chan, yeah!"_ Deidara called as he crouched down beside her, though not loud enough for anyone in the Great Hall to hear. _"Sakura-chan, wake up, yeah!"_

Sakura's eyes flickered open slowly, confusion washing over her face.

"_Wha–"_ Her eyes widened, then narrowed a moment later. _"That bastard!"_ she growled.

"_What happened?"_ Kisame asked, eyebrow raised.

Sakura scowled at the wall as she felt Itachi's chakra signature disappear completely. The other two looked at each other in surprise, obviously feeling the same thing.

"_Where'd he go, yeah?"_

"_He went back home,"_ Sakura muttered.

"_What, yeah?!"_

"_Huh?!"_

"_The bastard knocked me out so I couldn't stop him. He must've found a portkey in Dumbledore-sama's office."_

o o o O O O o o o

Itachi braced himself as he landed just outside of the Akatsuki's Amegakure base. A small overhang of roof protected him from the rain, and Itachi considered himself lucky. If he'd landed in the rain, Pein would know he was there.

Itachi felt with his chakra, attempting to located his brother. His eyes narrowed slightly. Sasuke was inside the Akatsuki base.

_Madara will regret luring Sasuke._ he vowed silently. He would make sure of it.

o o o O O O O o o

Sakura groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Bright sunlight poured in from the window to her left, washing over her face and bleaching her hair a very pale whitish-pink. She scowled at the window, wishing it would close up into a wall.

Amy glanced over at her friend as she tugged on a sock.

"You up, Sakura?" she asked.

Sakura grunted, rolling over and sitting up. She rubbed her left eye with the back of her hand.

Itachi had left the day before, and Sakura had gotten little more than a hour of sleep. He was stuck in her head all night. Sakura glared absently at the floor.

She was going to kill him. Not only had he run off without permission, he had used the Sharingan on her. Forget killing. She was going to _slaughter_ him.

"You feeling okay?" Amy said, drawing her out of her thoughts. Sakura looked up at the brunette.

"...yeah. I'm fine."

Sympathy flickered in her forest-green eyes.

"If you're not feeling well, perhaps you should see Madam Pomfrey."

Sakura waved it off, shaking her head.

Only she, Deidara, Kisame, and the professors knew that Itachi had left. Some of the students were surprised when he didn't return to the Great Hall the previous day, but that was to be expected.

"Hey, Amy...?"

The pretty brunette glanced at Sakura immediately as she pulled her hair into a ponytail.

"Yes?"

"...could you wait for me?"

Amy smiled.

"Of course!"

Sakura offered a weak fake smile in return as she slipped on her robes and tie. She hadn't been able to see her much yesterday, and she wanted to make up for that.

"Let's go."

The two walked side by side out of the Slytherin common rooms, every now and then making a comment about something completely random.

"Did you see Draco yesterday in Care of Magical Creatures?" Amy laughed as they entered the Great Hall.

"How could I not?" Sakura snickered. "Seriously, what was that? _'I'm dying! I'm dying, look at me! It's killed me!'_"

They both laughed at her horrible impersonation as they sat on opposite sides of the Slytherin table.

"Poor Buckbeak," Sakura murmured, sighing. "He was only lashing out because he felt threatened."

Amy nodded in agreement. A few Slytherin's glared at them.

"But I can't believe he let you ride him!" she gushed.

Sakura grinned – an actual grin. How could she forget?

.

.

.

"Right," Hagrid said, back turned as he fiddled with the dead weasels on his jacket. "Who wants ter go first?"

The entire class except Harry – who didn't seem to notice what happened – and the three shinobi scooted back as far as they could. When Hagrid turned around, he smiled at the four. Harry turned and nearly gaped when he saw that everyone else had abandoned him.

"I'll do it," Sakura offered, hand raising a bit.

Hagrid smiled. "O'course young lady!" he said. "Let's see how yeh get on with Buckbeak."

A few surprised murmurs rippled through the students, and Deidara scowled at her.

"I wanted to, yeah!" he complained.

"Eat it," Sakura retorted, smirking.

A couple gasps were heard at her words. Deidara glared and looked away, while Kisame snorted.

"Well, _I'm_ the one who's flown before, yeah!" he grumbled. A few people – Hagrid included – seemed surprised.

"Suck it up," Sakura mocked. "But if it's lady first, then be my guest."

Snickers sounded and Deidara glared even harder, red adorning his face.

"I hope it throws you off, yeah," he muttered, scowling at the ground.

Sakura rolled her eyes as she stepped forward.

"Easy, now," Hagrid said quietly. "Yeh've got eye contact, now try not ter blink...Hippogriffs don' trust yeh if yeh blink too much..."

Not blinking was easy for Sakura as she approached him. Buckbeak stared at her with fierce orange eyes.

"That's it," Hagrid mumbled. "That's it...now, bow..."

Sakura gave a short shinobi-like bow, her eyes never leaving Buckbeak's. It bowed back almost instantly, head lowering nearly to the ground.

Hagrid was shocked nearly speechless.

"...Buckbeak's never bowed that quickly before," he said quietly. "He must like yeh..."

But Sakura knew otherwise.

_He knows I'm not like the other wizards_.Sakura thought with an inward smirk.

"Well done!" Hagrid complemented, clapping. "Right – yeh can touch him! Pat his beak, go on!"

Sakura strolled up to Buckbeak, eyes still not leaving his. She smiled slightly as she stroked her hand across his beak. He nuzzled into her heads, earning a pleasantly surprised smile from Hagrid. Sakura slid her hands across his neck and back, grinning to herself when Buckbeak made a sound of approval in his throat.

The whole class broke into applause, except Draco and the two shinobi. They both smirked at Sakura.

"Righ' then," Hagrid congratulated. "I reckon he might' let yeh ride him!"

Sakura smirked.

.

.

.

Oh, yes. She had definitely liked Buckbeak. She had even snickered and murmured to him in a baby voice about how much she loved him after he attacked Draco.

Speaking of which...

"Where is he?" Sakura asked.

Amy looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she inquired.

"Draco," the rosette clarified. "I haven't seen him today."

Amy frowned slightly, a thoughtful look crossing her face.

"Now that you mention it, I haven't seen Itachi, either," the brunette added. "Have you seen him anywhere?"

Sakura went rigid, staring down at her plate.

"He, uh...left to get something he forgot in...Japan..."

"Oh..."

Itachi was a sensitive subject for Sakura, and she had no idea why. Why did she care if he left – besides the anger at him for not completing the mission –? Even Kisame and Deidara seemed a bit quiet after the incident. A sudden thought struck her, and her heart clenched.

_What are Pein and Madara going to do when they find out?_ She shook that thought away. _No. They _won't_ find out. I'll make sure of it._

When she sent a scroll to them to explain the details of everything that had happened since their arrival, she would say nothing about Itachi. It they found out he left, they'd most likely see it as treason against Akatsuki. And then they'd kill him.

Sakura felt like she was going to be sick.

There was no _way_ she'd tell them about Itachi.

Sakura heaved a quiet sigh, picking absently at her food.

"Something wrong?" Amy guessed.

Sakura's head snapped up.

"Er, no..."

Amy offered her a small smile.

"Just remember, you can tell me anything. I don't mind helping you."

Sakura nodded, looking back down at her plate.

"Thanks, Amy."


	10. Why Can't Things Run Smoothly For Once?

Hello everyone! I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this in so long! Please forgive me! ^^; I've been working on _And The World Stood Still_. My next projects are to update _Shizuku Oite Hana_ and _Worlds Apart, Yet So Close_ because you've all been so patient with me! Thank you all!

And I'd like to extend a big thanks to everyone who clicked on my DragCave eggs! Right now, I have four dragon eggs (with will soon be hatchlings) and they need clicks or they'll die! While they're eggs, they have seven days to get enough clicks and views to hatch, and when they become hatchlings, they need so many more in seven days to mature into adults. Every click counts! There are links to all four AND my scroll page on my profile. Please help! :)

And please read and review! I hope you all like it!

* * *

Sakura glanced up from the Slytherin table and locked eyes with Deidara, sending him a meaningful look. She tilted her head slightly towards Dumbledore, and he and Kisame nodded. All three stood from the two tables at once.

"Hm?" Amy murmured in surprise. "Is something wrong, Sakura?"

Draco watched her like a hawk; he had returned from Madam Pomfrey's office only seconds earlier. Sakura sent a fake smile to her new friend, not sparing the boy so much as a glance.

"Oh, nothing's wrong, Amy-chan," she promised. "I'll be back in a minute."

Amy stared blankly after the rosette, while Draco studied her every move.

"...'chan'?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged confused looks as Deidara and Kisame followed Sakura's lead. The three shinobi stood before Dumbledore at the head of the Great Hall.

"Dumbledore-sama," Sakura began. "Would you happen to still have the message port-key?" _Kami, I hope that wasn't the one Itachi took..._

There were two port-keys that Dumbledore had to their world, as he had told them. One was for sending messages in scrolls to Madara and Pein, and those scrolls would appear on Madara's desk with the port-key. The other was simply a back-up for if one of them needed to be transported back to Amegakure for an emergency. If Itachi had taken the scroll port-key and shown up on Madara's desk, Madara would waste no time in disposing of him.

Her mind wandered to the Uchiha, but she forced herself to banish all thoughts of him.

"I do," the Headmaster replied calmly. "Do you, perhaps, require it?"

"Hai," Sakura confirmed, nodding. "Madara will be awaiting our first report within the week, and it's better to send it early rather than never."

"Very well." Dumbledore pulled out something wrapped in newspaper. "I had a feeling you would need this." He smiled warmly. "Merely tie your scroll to this and remove the newspaper. It will transport your scroll, and it will only return when Mr. Madara delivers another scroll. Be very careful not to touch the port-key once the newspaper has been removed, though, or you might find yourself going with the scroll."

"Arigatou," Sakura murmured, bowing. "She took the paper-wrapped port-key from him. "And, Dumbledore-sama..."

The teachers waited for her to continue.

"...could you please refrain from mentioning Itachi's departure to Madara?"

Understanding shone in his eyes.

"Of course," he murmured. "It is not my place to say such a thing."

Relief washed through Sakura, and she bowed again. "Arigatou."

"One last thing," Dumbledore continued. "When you return, I would like to speak with you three regarding some troubling information Professor Trelawney has told me."

"Which is...?"

"She said that you told her you were unable to read the books."

"Oh, that," Sakura mumbled. "Yes, we've had..._difficulties_ reading the books. I don't believe your spell affects reading and writing, as we thought it did." The long-haired wizard nodded, frowning slightly.

"I was afraid of that," he said. "Very well. I will have copies of every text book translated into Japanese, seeing as it appears to be your native language. Until then, please do not hesitate to ask the professors for aid."

Sakura sent him a small nod, turning and walking away from the table. The three Akatsuki strode out of the Great Hall, stirring up confused conversations from every table. Kisame kept a look-out to make sure none of the students followed them as they entered an empty classroom.

"We've got about ten minutes before breakfast ends and our first class begins," Sakura mumbled. "That should give us enough time to construct a report." The other two nodded as she nabbed a strange quill pen from the professor's desk. "Is there anything you think Madara should know about Harry-san or this Voldemort character?"

All three thought for a moment.

"Maybe that thing with the dementor, yeah," Deidara suggested.

"What about it?"

"Well,... I don't know, that thing seemed interested in him, yeah."

"You could say that the dementor didn't go after the others," Kisame agreed. "It was like the thing singled him out."

Sakura nodded slowly, tapping the end of the pen against her bottom lip. "Yeah; I see what you're saying." She scribbled something down in small, neat kanji. "Anything else?"

"That Draco kid looks suspicious," Kisame offered. "And so does Snape. You think that's got anything to do with the mission?"

Sakura mulled it over. "I was thinking the same thing actually," the kunoichi admitted, writing another short string of characters. "Draco's dislike of Harry-san seems a bit over the top to me; I can't possibly imagine why he hates him so much."

"And don't forget his weird fortune from yesterday, yeah," Deidara continued.

"I forgot about that." She wrote it down. "You, me, and he were the only ones to get 'bad' predictions."

"Alright, what the _hell_ are you two going on about?" Kisame cut in, looking lost.

"It was our first class yesterday," Sakura explained. "Which means _you_ will have it with us tomorrow, since you switched to Gryffindor."

"Joy, yeah," Deidara muttered. "That lady's a freak'n nut, yeah."

Sakura sighed.

"We didn't really find out much, but that's to be expected. This is— what? Our second, maybe third, day here?"

Deidara and Kisame peered at the scroll to see what she meant.

"He told us to use the whole scroll, yeah," the blond pointed out blankly. "He's gonna get pissed if we leave it at four and a half lines, yeah."

"Well, he can bite my ass," Sakura retorted.

Kisame snorted. "Akatsuki has changed since he stepped out of the shadows," the Kiri missing-nin grunted. "It's not about catching the jinchuriki and using their power to force peace on the world any more. Now we're just a group of thugs that kill people who oppose Madara and burn down villages."

"Where'd our shinobi honor go, yeah?" Deidara wondered quietly.

"Madara needs to die."

The other two glanced at their shorter companion in shock.

"What?" she demanded. "You're both thinking it as well, but you're just too chicken shit to admit it." Kisame's eyes narrowed and Deidara scowled.

"Oi," the normally-blue-skinned man objected. "I ain't afraid of _anything_, kitten."

"Me neither, yeah," the Iwa missing-nin agreed indignantly.

"Then say it," she challenged. "Say what you think."

Kisame and Deidara exchanged a long look, but their expressions were firm.

"He needs to be taken down."

o o o O O O o o o

The dull clang of a rusty bell attracted the attention of the few customers in the small café. A tall man with long brown hair and icy blue eyes entered quietly, emitting a cold aura. The other twelve occupants of the little eating place stared at him as he made his way to an empty table, unconsciously shying away when he passed them. The man paid them no heed, pulling out a chair and sitting down without a word. It took only a moment for one of the waitresses to approach him.

"G-good morning, sir," she stammered, nervously tucking a strand of (dyed) blond hair behind her ear. "What can I get for you?"

The man barely spared her a glance, not seeming to care.

"Bocchan dango," he murmured. "And hot green tea."

The girl swallowed, nodding, and stumbled back to the kitchen to deliver the order. The man turned his head and stared out the large wall-sized window, deep in thought. And then, a single drop of rain fell from the sky. His eyes narrowed. Rain began to pour down on the cold, metallic village of Amegakure.

_Damn._ The man didn't even look at the waitress as she set down his plate and cup. _The rain has started. I won't be able to leave until it stops._

He took a small drink of his considerably warm tea, popping one of the colored dumplings off the dango stick with his teeth and chewing quietly.

_I suppose I'll be here for a while._

o o o O O O o o o

Seven people sat in a mildly dim room, very little words being exchanged between them. One of the figures — a male with short, dark hair — spoke to quiet the murmurs from the trio on either side of him.

"Madara," he said quietly. "I work for no one. Taka will help Akatsuki with its plans, but not as subordinates; as partners. And in return, you will give me what I need to destroy Konoha."

The masked Akatsuki member chuckled inwardly, wickedly amused, while Pein and Konan studied the younger man closely.

_I wonder what he would do if he knew Itachi was still alive._ He smirked behind his mask. "Very well, Sasuke," he agreed. "I will accept those terms."

The younger Uchiha nodded, grunting. "Fine. What do you need Taka's help with?"

"Capture the hachibi," Madara replied easily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He has alluded us for some time now, and we need to go after the kyubi as well." He paused, reconsidering. "On second though, you close a close relationship with the kitsune jinchuriki, no? Capture him instead; he will be the most difficult."

Sasuke could care less that he was being sent to catch and aid in the murder of his best friend and almost-brother. "Hn. I'll have him here in five days."

His three companions exchanged uncertain looks, the silver-white-haired one tightening his grip on his (or Zabuza's, to be exact) sword. Madara's smirk widened.

"Then, we have a deal."

o o o O O O o o o

Sakura sighed as she sent the portkey to deliver her scroll to Madara, staring absently for a moment at the place where it had disappeared. Then, she turned to Kisame and Deidara.

"Now that the report is out of the way, we need to get down to business," she murmured. "We all agree about Madara, right?" They both nodded. "And I'm sure Itachi feels the same." She paused for a moment before continuing, seeming to debate whether or not to speak her next words. "In fact...we've often discussed this very matter and what to do if Madara became out of control."

"For how long?" Kisame demanded. "Why did you talk to us sooner?"

Sakura refused to meet either of their indignant gazes. "We were hesitant to speak to you, because we thought you might take his side."

"Are you _crazy_, yeah?" Deidara choked out, staring at her in disbelief.

"What were we to think?" the Yukigakure kunoichi countered. "You were his partner, and he was once Kisame's Mizukage."

"Kitten, if I wanted to take orders from Madara, I would've hunted him down a long time ago and killed the people that threw him out of office," the Kiri missing-nin retorted.

"Do you know who many times I nearly blew him up, yeah?!" Deidara exclaimed. "I've been trying to kill him since day one, yeah!"

Sakura grunted, crossing her arms. "Whatever; its all in the past now. We've got bigger problems to deal with."

Neither noticed that she had neglected to say how long she and Itachi knew Tobi was really Madara. "How are we going to do this?" Kisame asked seriously. "There's four of us and who-knows-how-many of them."

Sakura smirked. "Why, we'll do it shinobi-style, of course."

"But we're going up against both Akatsuki Leaders and the other half of Akatsuki, yeah," the blond objected, even as his lips twisted up and adrenaline coursed through his veins.

"It's a suicide mission," Kisame agreed, unable to hold in his grin.

"So?" Sakura shot back, almost playfully. "When are our lives _not_ in danger?"

They all smirked at one another. "Then ir's settled," Kisame announced.

"Operation: Take Down Akatsuki is a go."

o o o O O O o o o

"Orochimaru."

The pale, black-haired sennin turned to lock eyes with his partner in crime.

"Ah. Voldemort-san. What can I do for you?"

A bald man with a flat, slitted nose studied him sharply. "Are you sure this will work?" he asked, his voice cool and etched with a rich accent. He gazed pointedly at something behind Orochimaru. "This will not fail?"

"But, of course," the Oto-nin replied smoothly, a large golden-brown snake slithering its way up his side to rest its head on his shoulder. Its beady black eyes pierced Voldemort, its tongue slowly sliding out to taste the air. "This will not fail. The wizards of your world have never encountered shinobi before, so they will be defenseless; they won't know what to do." He smiled widely, darkly. "And once I've helped you kill off this Potter boy and take control of the wizardry world, you and your Death Eaters will help me destroy Akatsuki and take over every Hidden Village of the shinobi world."

o o o O O O o o o

The soft _'tak tak'_ of sandals on the dirt road and quiet murmuring from every direction were the only sounds that filled the air. No birds chirped. No crickets chattered. No dogs or cats cast pitiful whimpers and mews toward naive civilians. An unbearable stillness was tangible in the air; every person — both shinobi and civilian — knew something was horribly wrong.

A nineteen-year-old boy walked quietly toward a large building, not uttering a sound; it was unnatural for him to be so silent, and everyone around him noticed. Strange looks were cast in his direction, but he couldn't see any of them. His mind was focused on something far away; on someone.

"Naruto-kun!!"

His foot twitched and he finally stopped, his blue eyes troubled. The other member of his former genin team — the one that hadn't abandoned the village — ran up to him, invading his personal space. His blond eyebrows furrowed slightly as he unconsciously scooted away.

"Oh," he mumbled. "...hey, Satoko."

She smiled widely at him, stepping closer as he took a step back. Satoko giggled, leaning forward just a bit to make a display of her scarily small outfit: a pale pink sleeveless top that showed off a bit of her stomach and a shockingly short dark violet skirt. She twirled a lock of her chin-length honey-blond hair.

"Ohayou, Naruto-kun," she bubbled, practically on top of him as she came nearer. "Where ya going?"

Naruto cleared his throat as he stepped back again, eyes shifting toward his destination.

"...look, Satoko," he finally said. "I've got to go. I'll, uh...talk to you later, okay?"

She pouted openly, stubbornly following as he attempted to leave her behind. "Go where?" she demanded.

"Just...somewhere."

Satoko latched onto his arm, pressing her chest against his elbow. "Where?"

Naruto held in a grimace as he shook her off. "...I've got a mission."

Her face lit up and her whining stopped. "I want to come!"

Naruto had never really liked his teammate; she was more annoying that the Ino girl, and she was awfully scary when she failed to bring someone under her charms. He wasn't flattered that she was flirting with him, because she flirted with _everyone_. He halting, becoming irritated.

"You can't," he replied flatly. "Stop following me." Before she could object, Naruto disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Satoko blinked stupidly before scowling and stomping her foot.

.

Naruto appeared in his Hokage's office, standing nervously before a woman with long pale blond hair pulled into two low pigtails. Her hazel eyes studied him for a moment.

"Naruto," the woman finally said. "You cannot refuse the mission I am about to assign you. Is that clear?" He nodded, stomach twisting with dread. "Yamato, kakashi, Sai, Nara Shikamaru, and Hyuga Neji will accompany you; no complaints. You are to track down Uchiha Sasuke and go to whatever means necessary to bring him back, _dead or alive_."

Naruto swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, trying to steel himself. He had known she would order it sooner or later. "G-got it, Baa-chan."

Usually, Tsunade would scold him for his comment, but not this time; she could see how hard this was for him. "Good. Be ready at the gates in twenty minutes to depart." He nodded again, staring down sadly at his feet. "Now, go." The younger blond disappeared from her office without a word.

Tsunade sighed and turned her chair around, gazing out the large window to peer down at her village. Her eyes grew distant as old memories surfaced in her mind. She distinctly remembered a young girl she had trained in Yukigakure fourteen years earlier.

_I wonder if she's still out there...if she's still alive._ Her heartstrings pulled. _That poor girl. To be alone at such a young age, Just like Naruto._ Her eyes took upon a thoughtful light. _I wonder...what would've happened if she and Naruto had met? If she had agreed to come with me back to Konoha when I finished her training?_ After a long moment, Tsunade sighed again. _I just hope she's safe._

o o o O O O o o o

A hand went into the air. "Professor Snape-san?"

The dark-haired man paused in annoyance, glancing down at the familiar pink-haired girl. She gave no sign that she had noticed his irritation. Only when he acknowledged her did her hand go down. "Yes?"

Sakura pointed to a line of text in her potions book. "What does this say?" She ignored the snickers around her, keeping her eyes locked on the man. Kisame and Deidara watched his as well, waiting for an explanation. He glared.

"I would appreciate," he murmured, "if you would cease to disrupt my class."

Sakura didn't even blink as she replied smoothly. "And I would appreciate if you would explain the assignment so I can complete it. Or is there some reason why you are unable to do so? Have I offended you in some way because I am Japanese?" Referring to herself as Japanese had become rather easy since her arrival.

The class seemed to hold its breath as Snape cast her a sharp look. "Miss Haruno," he said tightly, "perhaps you should ask Mr. Malfoy. I'm sure he would be glad to answer any questions you may have."

"Very well," the rosette agreed easily. "I suppose you are unable to. My apologies."

A few students gasped at her comment. Snape glowered. "Another word like that, any you might just find yourself in detention."

Sakura sent him a fake, dazzling smile. "Oh, but of course." When Snape finally turned around, she looked at Draco on her right, sliding her book toward him. "What does this say, Draco-san?"

He paused, glancing up at Snape's back before following her finger to a couple sentences.

"Er...it says 'Add in one ounce of mountain troll blood and stir slowly. When the concoction turns a deep violet, throw in a two fluxweed leaves'."

Sakura smiled brightly at the boy. "Arigatou, Draco-san."

He blinked, eyebrows furrowing before he shook his head. He watched as she studied each of the ingredients lying on their shared table. After just a second, she picked up a small vile of thick red-violet liquid and a couple dark leaves. Her lips curved slightly upwards, and the kunoichi poured the troll blood slowly into a measuring cup. When it reached the 'one ounce' line, she dumped it into their potion. A puff of lavender-gray smoke burst from the cauldron, but she didn't flinch or cough. Sakura grabbed a wooden spoon and began stirring the potion laxly, mint-green eyes focused on her work. Draco gazed in wonder as the brew began swirling into a rich purple, blinking again when the spoon was removed. She tossed in the two fluxweed leaves, pausing before she attempted to do anything else.

"What's next?" she asked.

Draco looked down hastily at the book, unwillingly to be caught staring stupidly at her. "Uh...next you push the leaves into the potion and let them soak." He peered up at her as she did so. "And then, uh...and then you add flobberworm mucus, bubotuber pus, and bundimun secretion.

"How much of each?"

"It says just a dash."

"Thank you."

He studied her again as she mixed in the three ingredients. She didn't look up from the potion as she spoke.

"Draco-san...?"

His eyes flew to her face before traveling back down to the potion. "What?"

"Why are you staring at me?"

He managed to scowl at her, but a small tinge of red dusted his face. "I'm not staring at you!" he bit out, turning his head away.

Sakura swallowed back an amused smirk, not having to look at the pale blond to know he was acting like a child. _Oh, but weren't you?_

Kisame snorted quietly at the table he shared with Deidara on her left, both of them exchanging a look. Sakura simply smiled as she asked what the next strange item needed for the potion was. This wouldn't be such a long day after all.


	11. Boggart? That's Fun, Right? WRONG

HOLY CRAP, PEOPLE. I AM SO SORRY.

I swear, I didn't mean to let this go so long without an update! I got grounded from my computer for a while, and when I finally got it back, I started working on _Worlds Apart, Yet So Close_. Please forgive me!

Well, anyway, a message to you all:

My friend** Shadowstep of MoonClan **has this kick-ass AWESOME story that you all need to go read, especially if you like the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. It's called _Up Above The World So High_. This girl, Charykit (ahem, *cough*Sakura*cough*) lives in a world of human/cat hybrids, and is part of the Blazing Fire Clan. But one day, the Clan gets destroyed by the Raging Water Clan, and she's sent 300 years into the future - to a world where only humans (ninja) live. She goes by the name Hanashina Namikawa, and she sees the reincarnations of some of her friends there, too! (Like Foxkit is Naruto and Ravenkit is Sasuke.) It's really cool, guys! You've gotta read it! :D

Please read and review!

* * *

Sakura thought she would enjoy potions class. She was a med-nin, after all, so she had a lot of experience with mixing concoctions. She had been even more excited to discover that she had a _double_ potions class, which basically meant the class was twice as long as normal. Sure, Professor Snape was a bit of an ass, but she had dealt with difficult people most of her life. No sweat, right?

Wrong.

Sakura had liked the first half of class. Draco — while also a little asshole himself — was pretty easy to work with. He put up a strictly business mask and read the textbook aloud while Sakura did as he said. She just had to ignore the occasional barb he muttered about Harry, Ron, and Hermione (even though she really didn't like the girl). Nothing she wasn't used to.

Because of their excellent teamwork, Draco and Sakura were the first ones to finish, a fact that irritated Hermione to no end. Kisame and Deidara, while quick workers themselves, were the third pair to finish because they were forced to keep asking what the book said. Hermione and her partner came in second.

When Sakura called Professor Snape over to inspect their completed project, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted to accuse them of cheating. He didn't, however, because he would have to call his prized student a cheater as well. Sakura couldn't help feeling a bit smug that Snape wasn't getting his way. She was a sadist at heart.

Not long after Kisame and Deidara finished, Snape ordered that no one was allowed to talk. So instead, Sakura sat in complete silence, staring blankly at the front of the classroom with her cheek resting in her palm. She was incredibly bored, and she almost wished a gang of enemy shinobi would bust into the room so there would be at least a little bit of excitement. Alas, however, that didn't happen. In order to amuse herself, Sakura went over all the silly arguments she'd had with Deidara and Kisame in the past. She allowed a small smile to stretch on her lips; finally, something to keep her occupied.

But, of course, Snape found a way to ruin her day in the end.

"Detention, Miss Haruno."

Sakura looked blankly at the dark-haired man for a moment before his words sunk in. She glared. "For what?" she demanded.

"For violating my rule of 'no talking'," he replied matter-of-factly. "I announced a few moments ago that any further talking would result in detention. Obviously, you were not paying attention."

"But I wasn't talking," she argued, lightly shoving her partner's shoulder. "Tell him, Draco."

The Slytherin boy shot her an uncertain look before glancing up at Snape. "Professor—"

But he completely ignored his other student. "You are talking right now. Detention at three-thirty sharp. If you're late, I will add on another hour."

Sakura gaped up at him in disbelief as he turned and walked away, at a loss for words. Then, she glowered with fury.

"_Did you hear that?"_ she hissed to Kisame and Deidara, her voice so quiet that only the incredible hearing of a shinobi could pick it up.

"_You're out of luck,"_ Kisame replied just as silently. _"He obvious doesn't like you."_

"_You THINK?"_

Deidara snorted in amusement, and Snape halted.

"Detention, Mr. Katsu. Five points from Gryffindor."

"What, yeah?"

.

.

.

After the class ended an hour or so later, the three Akatsuki made a beeline for their next class: Defense Against the Dark Arts. They didn't want to stay in the room any longer than they had to. In the end, Kisame was dished out a serving of detention pie as well for "disrespecting the teacher". (Bullshit.) There was just one problem.

They had no idea where the classroom was.

Sure, they could've followed Harry, seeing as they had the same schedule, but they lost him in the crowd… So they were officially up Shit Creek, and guess what? The paddle just broke.

The three of them wandered around the castle like complete idiots for nearly twenty minutes before Deidara finally sensed Harry's presence and led them to the correct room. By the time they arrived, class had already started.

"So the first question we must ask ourselves," Professor Lupin was saying, "is: what _is_ a boggart?"

Hermione's hand shot up like a rocket.

"It's a shape shifter," she answered immediately, before Lupin even had the chance to call on her. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us the most."

"_Wow,"_ Sakura murmured under her breath to Kisame and Deidara. _"That sounds pretty interesting. It'd be really useful during interrogations."_

"_Definitely,"_ Deidara agreed just as quietly, eyeing the wardrobe situated in the middle of the room. It shook and twitched every now and then, but no noises came from inside.

"_So I guess there's a boggart-thing inside it, huh?"_ Kisame remarked, head turned toward the other two shinobi, but eyes locked on the offending object.

"_Probably,"_ Sakura said, nodding.

"_What do you think we're going to do with it?"_ Deidara asked, curiosity written all over his face. _"All of the tables are shoved up against the wall, and the other students don't have their books; only their wands."_

"_Maybe we're going to be fighting it,"_ Sakura suggested. _"To prepare us in case we meet one in the real world."_

"_The others look relaxed, though,"_ Kisame pointed out. _"Not like they're preparing to fight something off."_

Sakura frowned slightly. _"Good point,"_ she mumbled. _"I forgot; they haven't been trained to remain calm in all situations like us shinobi. So then…what?"_

"_Dunno,"_ the usually blue-skinned man grunted.

The aging jutsu was still in affect for all of them. Sakura and Deidara looked to be about thirteen, when in reality the rosette was nineteen and the blond was twenty-one. Kisame (who looked the same as always, except with the light blue skin and gill-like marks) could pass for fifteen, but that was pushing it; sixteen was a bit more accurate. However, he was actually thirty-four, which was a surprising age for a ninja. Most were dead by age thirty-two. Only the really powerful ones, like Madara or the three Sennin of Konohagakure, lived very long.

"—will practice the charm without wands first," Lupin continued with a slight smile.

The three shinobi exchanged a look, feeling they should probably pay attention.

"After me, please…_riddikulus_!"

"_Riddikulus_!" the class said together, some more enthusiastically than others.

"Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

A boy stepped forward nervously, shaking more violently than the wardrobe.

"Right, Neville," Lupin murmured. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you the most in the world?"

The boy mumbled something way too low for anyone — except the ninja — to hear. Deidara snorted loudly, and Neville's cheeks flamed red. Lupin shot the blond a stern look before turning back to Neville.

"I'm sorry, Neville," he said. "I'm afraid I didn't catch that."

He frowned deeply to himself, as if ashamed. "P-professor Snape."

Almost all of the students burst out laughing, to which Neville ducked his head. Lupin, however, looked thoughtful as he pushed the boy toward the wardrobe.

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong," he murmured, "but I believe you live with your grandmother?"

Neville paled considerably. "Y-yes," he stammered, panicking. "B-but I don't want the boggart to turn into her, either."

There were a few more laughs, and Sakura sighed quietly.

"_Tired?"_ Deidara guessed in amusement.

Sakura shot him a withering look. _"I didn't sleep good last night,"_ she muttered.

"_Thinking about Itachi?"_ Kisame jibbed.

She flat-out glared at the man, and Deidara grimaced at his insinuation. _"Shut the hell up,"_ she snapped, then flooded chakra to her feet to keep herself standing and crossed her arms over her chest. _"Wake me when it's over."_

Sakura sent a small flare of chakra to her brain and effectively knocked herself out. It was a little trick all shinobi could use when they were going on short hours of sleep. They could concentrate chakra to their feet, which stuck them to the ground in an upright position, and then sent a tiny burst of chakra to their brain to shut it down for some much-needed rest. Very effective.

Deidara sighed and looked away from the sleeping form of Sakura, his lone visible eye glittering in annoyance. Kisame grunted and crossed his arms over his chest like Sakura had, watching the other students proceed with the boggart.

"Miss Haruno," Professor Lupin called nearly twenty minutes later, smiling at the pink-haired girl at the back of the room.

She jerked awake, head shooting up and eyes wide. "What?" she demanded, looking around wildly for any enemies. A few snickers reached her ears, and her eyes narrowed as she realized that she had just made a fool of herself. Kisame and Deidara were smirking, and she glared at them.

"Why don't you join the class?" the man suggested. "You can go next."

Sakura stared at him blankly. _"For what?"_ she asked her fellow shinobi.

Deidara snorted in amusement, earning another glower. _"Go up to the boggart, let it transform into your greatest fear, point your wand at it, and shoot a henge at it while saying _'riddikulus'_."_

Sakura sighed and walked slowly to the front of the crowd of students, pushing her way through.

"Let's see what you're afraid of, kitten," Kisame taunted. "Good blackmail material."

Sakura shot him a fiery glare over her shoulder. "Sleep with one eye open, teme."

There were a few 'oooh's and 'teme?'s circulating amongst the students, but Sakura ignored all of them and approached the quickly-warping shape in the center of the room — the boggart, she assumed. It swirled around in mid-air, flashing through thousands of different forms.

And it _kept_ transforming.

It carried on for at least five minutes, swirling and changing, never staying in one form. Whispers echoed in the room as some of the students grew antsy. Then, to everyone's surprise, Lupin started laughing.

"Well, well," he chuckled warmly, smiling at Sakura. "Fearless, are we? I believe you've stumped our poor boggart, here."

The students' murmurs grew louder, but Sakura refused to let it feed her ego. He just stared blankly at the shapeless form before her, watching with jaded eyes as it began to shift more quickly, almost as if it were panicking. She was intimidating the boggart. Kisame gave a hearty laugh and clapped her on the back, making her stumble slightly and glare at him.

"Why am I not surprised?" he remarked with a sharp-toothed grin. "Big bad kitten, afraid of nothing. You always did have a habit of facing off against men twice your size — and _age_ — without so much as blinking; and you'd _win_, to boot." He barked another laugh and shook his head incredulously, giving her another couple rough back pats. "Fearless little spitfire. You'd make Itachi proud."

Sakura stiffened and the boggart suddenly twitched, greedily latching onto her moment of weakness. And then, it transformed and retained its shape.

In the place where the boggart had been, a bloody and broken body lay on the floor: Itachi. Sakura flinched and took a step back, eyes widening. Deidara drew in a sharp breath and Kisame froze. There were a few gasps from other students.

Slowly — painfully slowly — Itachi slid his hands to his sides and pushed against the floor, raising himself up sluggishly until he hovered about two feet off the ground. The band on his hair snapped and dark black locks fell down around his face, blood dripping to the floor at an alarming rate. He lifted his head at the pace of a snail, hair obscuring his features. Then, his hand raised to his face and pulled.

The skin around his right eye was ripped off, revealing a familiar purple-ringed golden eye. A wide chilling smirk stretched across his lips and an unearthly chuckle tore from his throat. A large earth-colored snake separated itself from the skin of his back and wrapped around him, hissing dangerously at the shinobi.

Sakura was completely white, whiter than Orochimaru's revealed flesh. She stumbled back with crippling fear twisting in her stomach. Knowing that it had her, the creature slipped out a familiar impossibly-long tongue, the chuckles growing louder.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Deidara snatched a hold of Sakura's arm and yanked her back, shifting in front of her. Immediately, the boggart shifted from an Orochimaru-infested Itachi to an Orochimaru-infested Sakura. Kisame swore under his breath, knowing his comrades were helpless. He whipped out his wand (stupid thing) and threw a henge at it, growling, "_Riddikulus_!"

As soon as the jutsu hit it, the boggart exploded into a shower of fireworks. Relief flooded Deidara's expression as he watched the blue-and-golden sparks flutter harmlessly to the ground, and he glanced back at Sakura. She was entirely frozen, eyes wide and unseeing, breathing so fast she appeared to be vibrating in place.

Alarmed, Lupin shot a spell at the boggart that flung it back into the wardrobe and locked it in. He looked at the three shinobi with concern, and the whole class was in a shocked silence. Then, Sakura seemed to snap out of it. Her face drew into a harshly blank mask, and her movements were stiff and jerky.

"I think I'd better go," she bit out, turning abruptly on her heel and stalking toward the door. Kisame and Deidara exchanged a look before running after her. Lupin did nothing to stop them. As soon as the door slammed behind the trio, shocked mumbles and cries broke out, filling the entire room.

Sakura walked down the hallway with a ground-eating pace, ignoring Kisame and Deidara's calls for her to stop. They caught up within seconds and the blond took her arm. She knocked his hand away, but he grabbed her again and pulled her toward him.

"Let me go!" she snarled, struggling against his hold.

"Just calm down!" Deidara ordered, grunting with the effort to restrain her.

Sakura wiggled one arm free and reared it back to punch him, but Kisame grasped her fist and trapped it at her side.

"Cool it!" he said.

"I have to go back!" Sakura yelled, glaring at both of them with eyes that glowed with the tell-tale signs of repressed tears, shocking them. "I have to get to him first! If Madara finds out—"

"If he already knows, then it's too late!" Deidara snapped. "There's nothing you can do!"

"No!" Sakura objected, though it sounded more like pleading. "Madara— he'll _kill_ him! I can't let him! I can't let him kill Itachi!"

"Sakura!" Kisame growled. "_Sakura_!" She stopped at his tone and glared up at him. "Itachi made his own choice," he said slowly, jaw clenched. "It was his decision to leave, and he had his reasons, I'm sure. But you can't do anything this time, kitten. If Madara knows that he went back, then Itachi's already dead. And if not, you could get him found out by following. And then _you'd_ be killed, on top of that."

Sakura swallowed slowly, eyes pained. She seemed to be fighting an internal battle.

"Let it go," Deidara murmured, forcing her to meet his gaze. "There's nothing you can do to change it, so just let it run its course. For all we know, Itachi could be fine."

Sakura bit her bottom lip and looked away, shoulders shagging in defeat.

"Fine," she mumbled quietly. "It's just— …I can't let him die…"

"I know," Deidara sighed, pulling her into an awkward soft of hug. He wasn't so great at the whole 'comforting' thing.

Kisame ran a hand through his unruly blue-gray hair, releasing Sakura's now uncurled fist. After a moment, the rosette pulled away from her blond-haired comrade, muttering a quiet 'thanks'.

"I don't want to go back to the class," she said, daring them to argue. "I want to train; it'll help me get rid of my frustration."

Deidara suddenly gave an unholy grin, the gleam in his eyes promising that someone was about to be very, very horrified — namely, the professors of Hogwarts. Sakura felt herself grinning back, his enthusiasm infectious. Kisame gave a snort, but smirked as well.

"I've got some clay on me," the blond remarked with deceptive innocence. "And I'm sure we could slip out of the castle pretty easily, yeah. Maybe the Forbidden Forest? Blow up and beat up some weird-ass creatures, hm?"

Sakura laughed, surprising herself. She was usually quite and withdrawn like — _Don't say his name, stupid._

"I'm game," she agreed. "Kisame?"

He flashed a row of scarily-sharp teeth. "Count me in. I've been itching to fight something for a while, anyway."

o o o O O O o o o

The man with long brown hair and ice-blue eyes from the dango shop glanced around suspiciously, body tense. The rain had stopped less than an hour earlier, and he had successfully slipped into the Akatsuki base located in the center of Amegakure. He kept his chakra completely repressed, knowing the consequences for being caught.

His eyes flickered for a moment, the color in them blurring, and they suddenly sharpened. He pressed himself flat against a wall with a cloaking jutsu hiding his form and peered cautiously around a corner. Just because he couldn't sense any chakra signatures didn't mean that someone wasn't hidden there.

Deciding that it was all clear, he slipped quietly around the corner and flashed down the hallway, his cloaking jutsu blending him in with the shadows on the wall. He was so close. Just two more turns, and then he'd be in the correct hall. Using every once of his concentration, he focused on his instincts and swiftly made his way to his destination. Five doors down, on the left — there.

He darted across the hall and, after quickly checking for the presence of any chakra, opened a door and slipped inside. He shut it gently behind him, eyes flying in every direction before he deemed it safe.

It was the room Uchiha Sasuke was bunking in for the night. He and his team were staying another day at the base to rest up and gather supplies before they set off to capture the kyuubi jinchuriki — Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure.

With the carefulness only a trained shinobi could obtain, the man retrieved an item from the pouch on his hip: a Konoha headband with a slash through the symbol. Keeping the cloaking jutsu in place, he poured a little of his chakra into the steel plate and took out another item from his pack — a sheet of paper. He placed the headband gently on the center of Sasuke's temporary bed and raised his right hand to his mouth, biting down on the tip of his pointer finger. Blood welled on the digit, and he used it to scrawl a quick message on the paper before placing it beside the headband.

Then, feeling his cloaking jutsu — _and_ henge — begin to slip, he escaped the base as quickly as he had come.

Later, when Sasuke would come in his room to find the two objects on his bed, he would be shocked beyond belief. He would stare at them wide-eyed, and then growl furiously to himself. When he read the message, he wouldn't believe it in an instant, but once he felt the chakra pulsing from the headband — _That Man's _— headband, he would be convinced. But until that moment, hours from the present, Sasuke would remain ignorant that anything was wrong.

The headband glowed slightly on the bed, the strong chakra within it swirling forcefully. The blood-written message at its side held a foreboding message:

_**Madara helped kill the Clan.**_


	12. Going to Hell in a Hand Basket

Hello, my most favorite people on Earth! Having fun? Is everyone here already on summer break? I am, and I'm loving every minute of it.

I'm really hoping that with this chapter, the reviews for this story will finally hit 300. Wish me luck, and please help with that, yes? :)

Enjoy! Please read and review!

* * *

There was a reason students weren't allowed into the Forbidden Forest. It was full of horrible creatures that could easily kill a Hogwarts student — some that could even kill a professor — without breaking a sweat. Monsters like werewolves and pissed-off centaurs, and beasts even more frightening than a dragon — not to mention all the Dementors roaming the grounds. All in all, it was a very dangerous place for the wizards and witches.

Let's reemphasize, shall we?

It was a very dangerous place _for the wizards and witches_.

For three S-Ranked missing-nin? No sweat.

All of the terrible creatures of the Forbidden Forest were nowhere to be seen, having already fled deep into the woods to escape the three psychopaths currently blowing shit up and basically destroying the forest. Deidara, who had spent a little time earlier pushing his chakra into a soft patch of dirt to force it to generate more clay for him whenever he needed it, was throwing bombs down at Sakura and Kisame. The kunoichi was using her monstrous strength to try and punch a hole through Kisame's chest, while he swung his Samehada in a dangerous arc to dispatch her. All three of them were going at it, not taking sides and not pulling their punches. In the shinobi world, it was considered extremely disrespectful if you went easy on your opponent.

Ah. The joys of everyday training.

The students of Hogwarts were engrossed in their lessons, blissfully unaware of the destruction taking place in the Forbidden Forest. The three Akatsuki members had decided upon the forest as their place to train for a simple reason: no students were allowed in it, and it would offer a bit of challenge. All the perks of training in a strange environment with any of the downfalls. Splendid.

o o o O O O o o o

"Yo, boss! Where ya goin'?"

Sasuke didn't even turn to look at Suigetsu as he stalked by him in the hallway, fist clenched around a familiar chakra-infused headband and a blood-written message. The silver-haired man mumbled something and followed him, having nothing better to do. Juugo, who had been standing with him, walked after Sasuke as well. Karin was nowhere to be found, but Suigetsu didn't mind; he hated the girl, anyway.

Sasuke's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed, the Sharingan flickered to life dangerously. He shoved the two items he carried into the pouch on the back of his hip. Suigetsu and Juugo, sensing the dark aura surrounding their team leader, exchanged wide-eyed looks. The message repeated itself blaringly loudly in Sasuke's mind.

_**Madara helped kill the Clan.**_

He hadn't thought it was possible. He had killed Itachi; he was sure of it! But there was no mistaking the headband and the chakra swirling within it. Itachi was still alive, and he had been there no more than two hours earlier. And to top it all off, Madara had had a hand in destroying the Clan, as well.

After his battle with Itachi, Madara had taken him away and told him the real story behind it all. He explained that Itachi had actually loved his brother and killed them all for the sake of Konoha — and, in turn, the world. The Uchiha Clan had been evil and Itachi had seen that. He'd been ordered by the Konoha elders, the Sandaime Hokage, and a man named Danzo to kill every last member of the Clan. In return, he would be able to stay in the village and never have the blame placed on him. But in the end, he'd been unable to kill Sasuke; he had loved his little brother, and he knew nothing about the Clan's evil plans. So in exchange, he promised to leave Konoha as long as his brother was never harmed or told the truth about that night.

He had sacrificed everything for his village, and then sacrificed his village for his brother. All along, Itachi had been giving everything he had, not taking, as Sasuke had thought. His brother was good. He was still sore that Itachi had killed them all, but he understood now and he had come to peace with it.

However, Madara had neglected to mention his role in the massacre. And judging by that, Sasuke could assume he hadn't done it for the good of the village; he was just a sick bastard that made a living off the suffering of others.

And what's more, he hadn't told Sasuke that Itachi was alive. He'd _known_ that his brother was still out there somewhere, and he'd kept that from him. He would pay. Dearly.

He threw open the door to the cold room he had met with Madara and Pein (and Konan, though she did no talking) in. The three aforementioned shinobi were talking quietly, but their conversation abruptly halted when the door was practically torn off its hinges. Madara's eyes narrowed behind his mask suspiciously as Sasuke glared at him, Sharingan spinning.

"_You_," he hissed in a deadly voice, taking a menacing step forward as his hand grabbed the hilt of his kusanagi.

Suigetsu and Juugo exchanged alarmed looks, while Pein and Konan glanced at Madara distastefully, wondering what he could have possibly done this time to piss someone off.

"Itachi's still alive, isn't he?" Sasuke demanded furiously. He received no reply. "_Isn't_ he?"

Madara clenched his fists tightly, eyes flashing. "And what gives you _that_ impression?" he asked coldly.

Sasuke flat-out glared, a look so deadly, any lesser man would have trembled and begged for his life. But Madara was no lesser man.

"I can _feel_ him," he ground out, having the distinct feeling that Madara would kill Itachi if he knew that he had contacted him. "I can sense him with every move I make. I've always had a feel for his life force, and I can feel it now. He's alive somewhere, and _you knew_."

Madara glared at the youngest Uchiha, watching as he unsheathed his blade that could conduct his Chidori.

"_That_, dear boy," he bit out, "is not true in the slightest. You killed him yourself, or have you forgotten?"

If Sasuke hadn't have seen the evidence for himself, he would have believed Madara's lie.

"No," he growled, electric blue lightning-like sparks dancing across his kusanagi. "Your words are the only things here not true in the slightest." His body coiled, preparing for battle. Startled, Suigetsu whipped out his massive cleaver sword and Juugo tensed, brow creasing with worry. Sasuke practically resembled a demon with the murderous expression on his face. "You'll die for lying to me, Madara!"

Sasuke shot forward in a flash, slashing out with his blade at a breakneck pace. He plunged his kusanagi straight through the man's chest, but he followed it — _straight through the man's chest_.

_Time-Space ninjutsu._ Sasuke thought absently to himself as he phrased right through him, turning on his heel deliver a crushing kick. _He can teleport individual pieces of his body to give the impression of going right through him._

Madara caught Sasuke's foot and yanked him around, a kunai appearing in his hand. He brought it down to slice a deep cut into Sasuke's collarbone, but a sudden barrage of weapons caught his eye. He dodged the attack smoothly, not having enough time for his teleportation jutsu, only to have a hand latch onto his wrist and halt him in his tracks.

Madara glared into another pair of Sharingan eyes and cursed the day Uchiha Itachi was born.

o o o O O O o o o

The three Akatsuki members had decided upon the forest as their place to train for a simple reason: no students were allowed in it, and it would offer a bit of challenge. The challenges were certainly not disappointing, and they got in a great deal of training.

The only problem was, some dumbass student decided to cut class and — _like a goddamn idiot_ — went into the Forbidden Forest so that he could prove to his buddies back in class that he was brave.

And he saw them. Training. Using ninja techniques. And chakra. Wearing ninja clothing. He saw the whole damn enchilada.

Deidara, who was perched on one of his giant clay birds in mid-air, sensed the boy first. He swore under his breath and called out to Sakura and Kisame, quickly lowering his bird so he could jump off and dispel the jutsu, but it was too late. The three of them exchanged an uneasy look as the student stared at them with eyes wider than dinner plates, his jaw gone slack. And then, he did the sensible thing.

He turned and fled like a cheetah, screaming about Death Eaters hiding in the Forbidden Forest.

Son of a bitch.

The three shinobi quickly gathered their robes — which they had shed upon arrival to their training spot — and scattered weapons, darting after the boy. By the time they had gotten their crap together and exited the forest, however, the stupid kid was already inside the castle, alerting everyone about fake Death Eaters with mystical powers.

The trio skidded to a halt in the entrance hall, grimacing as nearly a hundred wands were pointed at them. None of the teachers, obviously, but all of the students. Harry, Ron, and Hermione — no surprise there — were in the front, wearing angry glares.

"Explain yourselves," the bushy-haired witch ordered. "Now!"

Kisame grunted and Deidara sighed heavily, running a hand through his long blond hair. Sakura settled for swearing up a storm worthy of Hidan in their native language, eyeing the kid who had caused it all with a look that said "you're dead, brat". Before any of the students could attack, Professors Lupin and McGonagall rushed forward to stand protectively in front of the shinobi.

"Professor," Harry exclaimed in disbelief, "if they're Death Eaters—"

"They are _not_ Death Eaters," McGonagall replied in a clipped tone, eyes scanning the crowd of students. When she found the child responsible, she fixed him with a stern look. "_What_ is the meaning of your wild accusations, Mr. Fouch?"

The boy was white and shaking.

"M-ma'am," he stammered, "they're evil! I swear it! They were out in the Forbidden Forest, using some strange kind of magic! They weren't even using _wands_! They scared away all of the monsters, too! And— and — and _he_ was flying on a large fake bird!" He pointed accusingly at Deidara, who glared back, making him flinch.

Immediately, all of the students began talking at once, voicing their opinions. Many of them were yelling, trying to make themselves heard above the others. Lupin raised his voice, holding up his hands to try and calm them down. It didn't work in the slightest. McGonagall yelled for silence, but it didn't help either. The students were getting louder, a lot of them shooting angry looks at the shinobi, while more students continued to poor from classrooms all the way across the castle. It was quickly turning into a disaster. Dumbledore's tall frame appeared in the distance, but there were still a flood of students cutting him off. So, of course, Sakura didn't the sensible thing.

"Everybody _shut the hell up_!"

The students went silent, staring at the fuming pink-haired woman. The aging jutsu had been removed when the three of them were sparring, so they now appeared to be normal. Naturally, many of the students were casting Kisame creeped-out looks and shivering.

"Now," Sakura ground out in a low, dangerous tone that dared them to object, "let's all be calm about this, hm? How about we all _lower our goddamn voices_ and act like _adults_. Well? Does that sound nice?"

Twenty minutes later, all of the students were seated in the Great Hall, glancing nervously at each other and looking up at the Professors and shinobi, who were standing at the front. They spoke quietly to one another, not wanting to anger any of the three Akatsuki members any more than they already were.

Sakura sat at the professors' table between Professor Sprout and Professor Lupin, her elbows resting heavily on the table and her fingers messaging her temples. Deidara stood in front of the table a little to Sakura's right, his left arm crossed over his chest and propping up his right arm, his hand covering his face. Kisame was on Deidara's right, leaning heavily on the table with his left hand and absently toying with the hilt of his Samehada with his other hand.

Dumbledore, who stood in front of them all with McGonagall at his side, called for silence. Immediately, his command was obeyed. Hundreds of pairs of curious eyes bored into the man, but he didn't appear to be nervous in the slightest.

"First of all," he began, his voice ringing clearly in the large room, "I would like to apologize to you all. These fine young people you see behind me" — he swept his hand back to indicate the shinobi — "are not students, as I told you. They are not wizards, either." A few murmurs started up, but he raised a hand for them to quiet down. "They are here to protect you all. I recently contacted one of my dear friends and expressed my deep concern for the safety of our school, so he sent these three to Hogwarts to act as guardians."

Sakura grimaced.

_No._ she corrected quietly in her mind. _He sent four of us._ Her eyes fell downcast and she dropped her hands from her temples, crossing her arms on the table and resting her chin on them.

"Guardians?" Hermione spoke up from the Gryffindor table. "And they're not even wizards? Sir, what are they, then? Where do they come from?"

Dumbledore turned and looked at the three Akatsuki members, taking a step back. Deidara glanced down at Sakura, their usual spokesperson. When she gave no indication of going up to speak, he sighed and stepped up to the front.

"We come from a world separate from yours," he said simply, his lone visible eye daring them all to call him a liar. "An evil psycho from our world named Orochimaru came here and started plotting with" — he paused and frowned, turning back to Sakura. "Er, what was his name again, yeah?"

Sakura shrugged lazily, blowing a piece of hair out of her face. "Beats the hell out of me," she replied. "Vander-dorf, or something."

"Ah, that would be _Voldemort_, dear," Dumbledore supplied helpfully.

Yells broke out all over the Great Hall, but Kisame silenced them all rather quickly with a glare and a low dangerous growl. Sakura made a vaguely apologetic gesture, waving her hand at Deidara for him to continue.

"Right," the blond grunted. "Voldemort. Orochimaru came here from our world and began plotting with him to take over your world. And then, once they succeeded, he was going to bring Voldemort and his Death Eatings—"

"Death _Eaters_," Kisame corrected, to which the arsonist shot him an irritated look.

"Fine — to bring Voldemort and his Death _Eaters_ back to our world and take it over, as well."

The students didn't know what to think. It was all a bit much to take in at once.

"But you still didn't answer my first question," Hermione objected. "What are you?"

"We're ninja, kid," Kisame stated bluntly.

Cue shocked silence. Then, wait for it…

"_What?_"

Deidara grimaced as all of the students began yelling at once. Needless to say, it was all going to hell in a hand basket.


	13. The Shitiest Luck in the World

I'm sorry it took so long to update this! My laptop currently hates me and decided to get a virus and then _die _— but that's not even the best part! We finally got the virus off a couple days ago, but the greey bastard DELETED ALL OF MY STORIES. So I've been having to rewrite all of the new chapters.

I'm going to fucking murder my laptop.

Anyway.

Please read and review! :D

* * *

Luck had never really been on the Akatsuki's side. That was why they were Akatsuki — rouge shinobi with lives full of shit and misfortunate. They could never catch a break.

So why should it be any different now?

Sure, they were in a different world. Sure, they were away from their psycho boss(es). Sure, they were surrounded by an impenetrable caste with magical wards.

But, so what?

They were Akatsuki. It goes without saying that things never run smoothly for them, no matter how perfect it may seem.

So, of course, it shouldn't have been a shock to them when the castle was attacked right after they explained to the students that they were shinobi.

A loud explosion sounded from the castle grounds, a resulting tremor causing the witches and wizards to panic. The noise in the Great Hall was deafening as hundreds of students started screaming. The professors leapt from their seats and murmured urgently amongst themselves, casting anxious glances in the general direction of the castle's main entrance. Sakura, Deidara, and Kisame were already standing together, exchanging meaningful looks but not speaking. Dumbledore touched his wand to his throat to amplify his voice.

"Silence."

He only spoke the word, but the spell made it sound as though he had yelled. Reluctantly, the teachers and students quieted down.

"There is no need," Dumbledore continued in his normal voice, "to panic. This castle is protected by numerous defensive spells and charms, and they have never before failed us. We are safe here."

Halfway through his last sentence, another explosion rang out, followed by another tremor. The witches and wizards whispered to one another, but they all seemed greatly reassured by Dumbledore's words. Sakura cast Deidara and Kisame a shrewd look, not disappointed when they returned it.

_The only problem with that,_ Deidara thought dryly, _is that the 'spells' and 'charms' have never been subjected to shinobi, yeah._

About that time, a dozen or so Sound-nin crashed through the large windows behind the professors' table. The teachers scattered, and the students screamed and rushed for the doorway to the hall. The three Akatsuki sprang into action, simultaneously kicked Sound ninja ass and defending the spell casters. The students couldn't help but stop and watch the fight with wide eyes.

Because they were indoors, Deidara couldn't use his clay bombs and Sakura couldn't use her monstrous strength. The blond was forced to rely on taijutsu — which was only slightly better than average — and carefully aimed weapons. Sakura used only her chakra scalpels, while Kisame was very content to wild swing his Samehada around.

The Akatsuki didn't pull their punches. Sure, they probably shouldn't have killed the — now that Deidara counted — fifteen-strong patrol of Sound-nin in front of all those kids, but so what? They were S-Class shinobi, damn it. Since when did they care what the on-lookers thought of them?

The enemy ninja were all down and dead — some in more than one piece — in a matter of seconds. The three 'guardians' hadn't even broken a sweat. The professors and students stood in a shocked silence, not sure what to make of it.

"You realize," Kisame muttered, resting Samehada against his shoulder, "that now Orochimaru will know shinobi are here guarding the kid with the glasses."

Sakura grimaced and Deidara swore.

"I didn't think about that," Sakura mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest.

Deidara sighed, running a hand through the fringe covering his left eye. "Well, the enemy was bound to figure it out eventually," he pointed out, though admittedly not very enthusiastic about it. "Alright. So this is what we're gonna do —"

"H-hold up!" Ron objected, looking extremely shaken. A few other students made similar complaints. The three Akatsuki glanced at him impatiently. "What do you mean 'this is what we're gonna do'? You just _killed_ those guys! What are you going to do about _that_?"

"Kid, we're ninja," Kisame said bluntly, obviously irritated. "We kill people all the time. In case you didn't notice, it's killed or be killed. Can you honestly tell me that you want to die?"

"N-no, but —"

"Then shut up and do as we say, or you _will_ die!" Sakura snapped.

That shut them all up.

"Alright." Sakura and Kisame both turned back to Deidara, intent on hearing his plan. "We don't have much time," the blond noted. "By now, Orochimaru'll be wondering why his henchmen haven't returned."

"He'll send in more guys soon," Sakura agreed. "More than last time; about twenty, I'd say."

Deidara gave a short nod. "The students aren't safe here." His voice had dropped considerably in volume so that only his two companions could hear. "Enemy shinobi just busted in here pretty damn easily, and they can do it again."

"And even if we confront them," Sakura added, "they'll just send a group in behind our backs to kill Harry-san."

"So we take the brats out with us," Kisame suggested. "Only way to keep an eye on 'em."

"Do you think we should hide Potter in the castle somewhere? In a dungeon or something, yeah?"

Sakura shook her head. "No; they'll be expecting that. We'll take him out with the others and let him hide amongst his peers."

"Alright," Deidara consented. "So this is how it's going down..."

o o o O O O o o o

The six Konoha-nin stepped into the tea shop and sat down for a drink. Uzumaki Naruto stared absently off into space, while the other five — Hatake Kakashi, Yamato, Sai, Nara Shikamaru, and Hyuga Neji — glanced inconspicuously in his direction. Tsunade had ordered them all to track down Uchiha Sasuke and drag him back to Konoha, dead or alive. Over the past few days, they'd found little evidence of the dark-haired missing-nin, and it was disheartening to say the least.

As for Naruto, he wasn't sure how to feel. Should he be happy that he was finally getting a chance to find Sasuke? Or should he be upset because they'd have to fight and/or kill him on the spot if he refused to return? It was still all coming as a shock to the blond.

One thing he _did_ know, though, was that it felt damn good to finally be away from Satoko for a while.

Naruto couldn't stand his other former teammate. She was just a horny little brat that walked around with her half her ass and chest hanging out of her clothes, waiting for some man three times her age to come fuck her up a wall. And she couldn't do _anything_. She sucked big-time at ninjutsu, she sucked major donkey balls at genjutsu, and she was pathetic at taijutsu. She couldn't even hit a stationary target, much less a _moving_ one.

Naruto, himself, had failed the ninja academy graduation test two years in a row, but _Satoko_... Damn. He wasn't sure how she'd managed to pass at all. Maybe she'd gotten a passing grade 'cause she'd shown her chest to the proctors...

The patrol — save for Kakashi and Yamato — ordered tea and waiting patiently. It was blatantly obvious to all of them that they were purposefully taking as much time as possible in finding Sasuke. Even Naruto realized it. They were doing it for his sake, and even though that pissed him off, he was still grateful for their support.

Truth be told, Kakashi had a good idea as to where Sasuke might be. He'd been told by a civilian from the village they were currently in — Kumogakure — that a man fitting Sasuke's description had been sighted very near Amegakure.

And also, Kakashi added mentally, Amegakure was the rumored home of the Akatsuki. It made perfect sense for Sasuke to be heading in that direction, as long as one assumed that he was out to kill the rest of the organization for working with Itachi.

Kakashi stole another calm glance at Naruto, who continue to stare sightlessly at the table, and made up his mind. He'd have them stay in Kumogakure for a couple more days, then reveal what he'd been told. Then, they'd be on their way to Amegakure to try and convince Sasuke to come home once and for all.

o o o O O O o o o

Orochimaru frowned. Why was it taking so long for his men to return with the boy's head? Sure, he had hundreds of witches and wizards protecting him, but still.

They were witches and wizards.

He had sent in fifteen men — twelve jonin and three chunin. Surely that was enough to take down a few hundred pathetic spell-casters.

His frown deepened. Perhaps he had underestimated them. Or maybe he had _over_estimated his own men. They were pretty useless, after all...

With a grunt, Orochimaru ordered twenty-one more jonin to go in — this time through the front to attack from a different side — and kill the boy. Right when they reached the door, however, it exploded. The twenty-one men were instantly downed and then, to the Sound leader's shock, three Akatsuki members appeared amongst the debris.

"Everybody, out!" Sakura ordered, staying by the obliterated doorway to guide the witches and wizards. Kisame and Deidara spread out twenty feet in front of them to defend if necessary. A few shinobi rushed them, but the pair fought them off with ease. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed.

"Now, I see," he growled under his breath. Voldemort looked absolutely furious. "The boy has Akatsuki guards."

"Are those ninja?" Voldemort demanded, eyes flashing wish anger.

"Yes," Orochimaru grunted. "But they will be dealt with." He glared at a large group of his subordinates. "Kill them _now_!"

The men flinched and darted off to do as they were told. The last of the witches and wizards escaped the castle, only to freeze up in fright of the army before them. There were twenty or so Death Eaters and at least forty chunin and jonin — plus Orochimaru and Voldemort.

"It's him," Harry murmured breathlessly, staring wide-eyed at the latter of the two deadly snake-oriented men. "He's here..."

The students were absolutely petrified, and the professors didn't know if they should attack or not. (The Akatsuki and told them to follow their orders to the mark, and they hadn't said anything about them throwing spells at the enemy.)

"Defense Position: Toh!" Sakura barked out to Deidara and Kisame.

Immediately, the two fell back and joined their pink-haired companion in forming a large triangle around the Hogwarts students and professors. The three simultaneously completed a series of hand signs. Orochimaru recognized the jutsu and ordered his men to stop them, but it was too late. The Akatsuki members bit down on their thumbs and slammed their palms onto the ground, each muttering, "Dome Barrier Jutsu" under their breath.

A large hazy dome of chakra rose from the ground and enclosed the spell-casters, effectively protecting them from harm. The witches and wizards could exit through the barrier, but they couldn't come back inside. Only the jutsu-projectors could move freely into and out of the dome. Anyone else that attempted to get in would be instantly fried by the dangerously-high concentration of chakra in the barrier.

Orochimaru cursed darkly. They'd have to kill all three of the Akatsuki members to bring down the barrier and destroy the Potter brat. No matter, he decided, thought still irritated. He'd have probably had to kill them anyways to get the kid.

And besides, he reasoned, they were no match for him.

Deidara and Kisame leapt away and flew right into the Sound-ninja, wasting no time in cracking open a can of whoop-ass. Before Sakura could follow suit, the students and professors cried out in the beginnings of panic for her not to leave them there alone. She sent them a somewhat amused half-smile over her shoulder.

"Don't worry," she called. "They can't touch you in there unless all three of us die. Just don't leave the barrier and you'll all be fine."

Without waiting to see if they'd heed her words, Sakura made a beeline for the enemy shinobi. Deidara, who was already up in the air on one of his birds, and Kisame were making quick work of them, but there were still at least thirty-five left. The kunoichi landed right in the center of a large group and before they could attack, she drew back her fist and slammed it into the ground. The earth around her shattered and exploded in a wide area, sending a miniature earthquake tearing through the clearing.

(At least there was nothing to hit out here, she told her dryly.)

The witches and wizards, including the Death Eaters, froze in shock. Many of the Sound-nin tensed up and regarded Sakura warily. Orochimaru eyed her with interest.

_That technique._ he thought to himself. _She must have been trained by Tsunade-hime._ A wide smirk crept across his face. _She should be easy enough to take care of. Tsunade always _was_ weaker than me, after all._

Deidara tossed down another clay bomb and took out two or three men, grinning down at them with an almost maniacal look. Kisame swung Samehada in a wide arc and cut down two more. Sakura kicked a man in the chest, and he slammed into two other men as he was thrown back nearly a hundred feet.

Voldemort glared at his Death Eaters, realizing that Orochimaru's men wouldn't be able to do the job.

"Get in there," he hissed, making a few of them flinch as his partner in crime had done.

The Death Eaters exchanged brief looks before whipping out their wands and shooting a barrage of spells and curses at the Akatsuki members. (There was no way in hell that they were going to get any closer to them.) Deidara jerked his bird to the side and went into evasive maneuvers, showering clay spiders on the shinobi and a few evil wizards below. At least seven ninja and five Death Eaters went down. Kisame and Sakura neatly dodged the green flashes, not pausing in their attacks.

After dispatching four Sound ninja, Sakura stomped the ground and kicked up a giant slab of earth, turning on her heel and flooding chakra into her arm to chuck it a good seventy or eighty feet. The large chunk of rock and dirt instantly took out three of the Death Eaters, and many more recoiled in dismay.

The enemy shinobi and wizards all agreed on one thing without having to even look at one another: they were royally screwed.

Then, of course, Orochimaru had to go and make things harder for the Akatsuki by flinging his Striking Shadows Snakes at Sakura.

The rosette dodged to the right, glaring when the snakes followed her smoothly, and leapt back a dozen or so feet. She slipped out a few kunai knives and fired them at the serpents, striking down nearly all of them. Twice as many took their place. Sakura swore under her breath and brought her hands together for a series of signs, rearing back her head and unleashing a Dragon Flame Jutsu.

The bright red-orange flames greedily overtook the snakes, burning them to a crisp in heartbeats. The tongues of fire shot up the ends of the snakes to continue on along Orochimaru's arm, but he dispatched the carcasses and the blaze died. Sakura flung a well-aimed batch of shuriken at the man at lightning speed, but he deflected them all with a similar barrage of weapons.

Sensing movement directly behind her, Sakura whipped around and punched her fist straight through a Sound ninja's chest, killing him instantly. He dropped like a sack of rocks, creating a sudden load of deadweight on the kunoichi's arm that she hadn't anticipated. She swore again and yanked her limb out of the man's chest, bringing with it a thick river of blood and a piece of his left lung. She dumped him on the ground and turned to throw the chunk of lung at Orochimaru — because, honestly; who doesn't want to do that? — only to find a large white snake's open mouth inches from her face.

Time seemed to slow and Sakura felt her eyes widen. Deidara was staring at her in shock from atop his giant clay bird, and Kisame was whirling around to do the same after killing at least eight more Sound-nin. As the serpent's enlarged jaws drew nearer and nearer at the pace of a snail, Sakura could only think one thing:

_...this is how it ends?_

Images of her mother, Kikara Kirame, flashed through her mind. Memories of her smile and her nearly constant shy blush. Following that came hazy pictures of her two closest friends from when she was a child in Yukigakure, Akatora Furea and Tori Yuri. Then came Mezuni Sakamaru and Sikomaru, the laid-back, dark-eyed, red-haired twins — Sakamaru the boy and Sikomaru the girl. A brief flash of her former shishou, Tsunade, the ANBU who had happened to be passing through the village on a mission and taught her to fight.

After all that had happened to her, this was how it was going to end?

She faintly heard the gasps coming from the Hogwarts spell-casters. She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't blink.

This was it. This was the end.

And then, a hand appeared out of nowhere and snatched the snake by the neck. The serpent's eyes bulged and blood trickled from its mouth as the person crushed its throat, then flung it back at a stunned Orochimaru.

Sakura's head turned slowly, painfully slowly, to her right. Standing beside her was not one person, but two people.

And one of them was Itachi.


	14. Fucking Uchiha's!

¡Hola, mis amigos! ¿Como están? Yo espero que ustedes están bien. :)

Translation for all you peoples who A- don't know Spanish and B- are too lazy to go google it:

Hello, my friends! How are you? I hope that you're all good. :)

Note: I have absolutely no clue why I'm speaking Spanish. It's invading my brain... I keep writing my notes for English and science in Spanglish. D:

ANYway.

This is a review I got a couple days ago for the last chapter.

**Why-Am-I-Crying-Cherry-Koolaid**:

"and the other just looked like him." XD that would be the best line to start the next chapter off with XD i know you wont but its would be amazing XD

So, you what, **Why-Am-I-Crying-Cherry-Koolaid** (epic awesomesauce pen name, by the way :3)?

Imma do it just for you. OwO

Please read and review, my pretties, or the flying hamsters of doom shall come and rain coconuts on your pitiful cities~!

* * *

And the other just looked like him.

Sakura couldn't believe it. She'd screwed up royally — made a fatal mistake, and she'd been subjected to certain death. Only, she hadn't died. She'd been saved.

By the one person she thought she'd never see again.

By Itachi.

Sakura stared up at him in utter shock, frozen in place. She couldn't move. Couldn't blink. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. Couldn't speak. She couldn't even whisper his name.

Itachi stood barely half a foot away, his right arm still angled somewhat outward and his right hand still open from where he had thrown Orochimaru's serpent back at him. His face was unreadable, something Sakura had never seen before flickering in his bright crimson Sharingan eyes. The slight breeze teased his hair, blowing locks of ebony against his cheek. Then, very slowly, his lips curved up in the beginnings of a smirk or even a smile.

"Sakura," he murmured. His voice was low, but even the Hogwarts students and professors could hear. None of the shinobi realized that he was speaking 'English'; Hermione had cast a language spell around them all in a thousand-foot radius for her and the other spell-casters' benefit. "You should be more vigilant of your surroundings."

Sakura still couldn't speak, so she faintly nodded. That seemed to amuse him. She would most likely be mortified when she looked back on the situation, but right now she was still stunned beyond belief.

"Orochimaru."

The growl came from the person behind Itachi, and reluctantly Sakura tore her gaze from her comrade to glance at him. As it turned out, he didn't "just look like" Itachi. He had the same pale skin, Sharingan eyes, and jet-black hair as him, but it was much shorter; his hair flared up in the back like a chicken's ass. He was younger — about Sakura's age, but still a bit taller than her — and he didn't have lines beneath his eyes from a lifetime of sleepless nights. His face was twisted in rage as he glared furiously at Orochimaru, unlike Itachi's perpetual stoic expression.

Orochimaru smoothed out his face and his lips curled into a wide, sly smile.

"Well," he chuckled, "if isn't Itachi and Sasuke-kun."

Sakura spared Sasuke a quick glance before looking back at Orochimaru.

_So that's Itachi's otouto._

"Why are you alive?" the younger Uchiha demanded.

The Oto Leader sneered. "Honestly, Sasuke-kun. You thought you had killed me?" His laugh almost sounded like a cackle. "Oh, no, dear boy. It will take much more than _that_ to kill me."

"Fine," Sasuke growled, fists clenched, teeth gritted. "I'll just take you down _again_."

Sakura spotted her chance and latched on.

"No," she disagreed, narrowed eyes locked on the snake-affiliated sennin. "He's mine."

Sasuke abruptly glared at her.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," he retorted. "What damage could _you_ possibly do?"

If Deidara and Kisame hadn't been busy fighting, they would've flat-out laughed. Immediately, Sakura bristled and rounded on the man.

"A helluva lot more than _you_, kid," she growled.

"'Kid'?" he scoffed. "Please. You can't be a day over fourteen."

Deidara snorted loudly and Kisame couldn't help but grin to himself as he cut down the last two Oto-nin. (The Death Eaters were smarted than they looked; they had all backed out the minute their numbers dropped to four.)

That did it. Sakura snapped.

"_What_?" she shrieked, looking more than ready to pound Sasuke's face in and choke the life from him. "I'm nineteen, goddamn it!"

Sasuke grunted in disgust, though admittedly a little surprised. "Hn. That makes two of us, then."

Sakura scowled deadly black flames of hatred through the man's head, one that could challenge even the infamous Uchiha Death Glare — which he was currently sending back at her.

"Fucking _Uchiha's_!" she growled angrily. "You're all the same!"

The next minute, all three shinobi were dodging another onslaught of Striking Shadow Snakes, courtesy of Orochimaru. Thoroughly pissed off, Sakura snatched one of the snakes out of mid-air by its throat and yanked with painful force. The Oto leader was jerked forward before he severed his connection to the serpent, letting it disappear. In retaliation, Sakura sent a quick burst of chakra to her feet for speed and darted forward, appearing in the air behind Orochimaru. The man noticed her immediately and leapt away, glancing back to keep a careful eye on her.

Her heel slammed into the ground in an axe kick, rupturing the earth and sending enormous, heavy slabs flying in all directions. To say Sasuke was shocked was a bit of an understatement.

In fact, it was a _big_ understatement.

Someone that tiny should _not_ be that physically strong. It just did not happen. Ever. Monstrous strength + itty bitty pink kunoichi = NOT POSSIBLE. It was fucking _scary_.

Sasuke knew right then and there that he would be sure to steer clear of the crazy bitch whenever she went on a warpath.

He was also considering never arguing with her again.

Orochimaru flung a five-inch thick white snake at the kunoichi, much like the one that had nearly killed her. She caught it by the neck like she had the last snake thrown at her and jerked her arm back with lightning-fast reflexes. This time, the Oto leader couldn't get rid of the snake quickly enough. He was yanked forward, all the way across the clearing, right to her.

She fist flew back, flooded with chakra, and snapped forward, connecting with Orochimaru's cheek bone. A very satisfying crunching noise resounded before the man was thrown like a rocket towards the far trees bordering their little clearing. He blew straight through at least a dozen before finally crashing into a thick trunk and sliding slowly to the ground.

He didn't get up.

Sakura was certain she'd broken the bastard's neck with that hit, and she told Deidara so we he hopped off his bird to go check. He crouched down next to his body and placed his fingers against his neck. The blond looked up and nodded slightly to signal that there was still a pulse, but the Oto leader was clearly no longer conscious. So, with very much self satisfaction, Deidara stuffed a slightly larger than normal clay bird in Orochimaru's mouth and leapt away until he was back on his bird.

Needless to say, all of the shinobi were smirking when the explosive went off, nevermind the resulting spatter of blood and...eh, the pinkish-grayish stuff was probably just brain matter. So the man actually had a brain. Who knew?

Bye-bye, bastard. Definitely won't see ya, wouldn't wanna be ya.

Kisame suddenly turned and eyed the remaining Death Eaters with a grin they most certainly did not like. Sakura grunted and relaxed as she padded back over to Itachi and Sasuke without hurry, leaving the blue-skinned man to deal with them however he chose. She allowed her eyes to close as she massaged the back of her stiff neck, sighing in content when it cracked.

Ah. All in a day's work.

And then, Itachi noticed something. Acting quickly, he whirled around and gripped Sakura's shoulders, effectively startling the girl. She looked up at him in surprise and confusion, obviously still oblivious as to what was about to happen. Good. Itachi stared down at her evenly, not blinking, not saying a word. Before she could ask just what in the hell he was doing, Harry noticed it as well.

"Itachi!" he called urgently from inside the protective dome of chakra, his eyes wide with terror.

Sakura glanced over at the young wizard, her face puzzled. He was looking straight at the elder Uchiha in panic. She noted a dim green flash out of the corner of her eye and turned her gaze back to Itachi.

He was falling.

Time seemed to move at the pace of a snail as Itachi fell to his right — Sakura's left. His eyes were hidden behind the dark strands of hair hanging in his face, while Sakura's widened painfully slowly. As he fell, what he and Harry had seen was revealed.

Voldemort was smirking broadly from the other side of the clearing, his wand aimed directly at them.

_...no..._

Itachi hit the ground.

_No..._

Sakura was frozen solid, her mind refusing to believe it. Her eyes were stretched impossibly wide, unseeing, and her lips were just slightly parted.

Kisame, Deidara, and Sasuke watched in utter shock, mouths opening to yell Itachi's name. Their cries fell on deaf ears. Sakura's couldn't hear them. She was completely, agonizingly numb, and her knees were rapidly weakening.

No.

Dead.

Itachi.

No.

Dead.

_No._

Then, a path leading straight to Voldemort exploded and he was enveloped in an enormous cloud of dust. The witches and wizards stared on in a stunned silence, not comprehending what they were seeing — or, rather, _weren't_ seeing; their eyes weren't nearly sharp enough to keep up with Sakura's sudden eruption of speed.

It wasn't until the seemingly endless amounts of dust cleared that the other shinobi could see it. And, damn, could they could see it all.

Sakura completely butchered the man, earth and blood flung in every direction. Chakra blazed around her filled with such rage, they nearly expected it to be black. She was like a demon. There was no stopping her until she'd beat his body into — quite literally — a sickening, bloody pulp. The students and professors couldn't see what she'd done to him, but it was obvious that the man was dead.

She trembled violently in place, not otherwise moving an inch. She didn't appear to be breathing, but they could hear the air hissing between her teeth as she seethed.

Never before had they seen Sakura so angry. She'd blown up before over major issues, but this... This was undeniably pure fury. She wasn't annoyed or irritated. She was _pissed_.

The witches and wizards didn't know how to react. They looked at one another in dumbfounding shock, rendered utterly speechless. Slowly, nervously, they chanced quick glances at Deidara and Kisame.

The pair was watching Sakura silently. Their eyes were no-longer wide, and they didn't look shocked.

They looked worried.

To the Hogwarts spell-casters, this was an even worse sign. Things had just taken a very violent, very ugly twist. If something didn't happen quickly to turn it around, it would soon get deadly. They were profoundly grateful for their barrier of chakra — seeming to forget that Sakura (and also Deidara and Kisame) could pass through it at will.

Almost all of the students openly gaped at the fallen shinobi, unable to believe what they had seen and were currently seeing. It was impossible. Itachi had been so strong, so powerful... It was becoming more and more shocking by the minute.

Deidara and Kisame exchanged a concerned look. They glanced back to see Sasuke crouching beside his older brother with a look of utter disbelief. Slowly, they turned back to the boiling kunoichi no more than forty or fifty feet ahead of them.

She looked very mentally unstable. They were sure that this was what true psychopathy looked like. She didn't appear to have any registry of the world around her.

Deidara swallowed to wet his drying throat, glancing back at Itachi and Sasuke again. His eyes shifted to Sakura once more and he spoke quietly.

"Sakura...?"

No reaction whatsoever was received. It didn't appear as if she had heard. After a moment, he tried again, slightly louder.

"Sakura?"

The muscles in the kunoichi's back seemed to tighten considerably and blood dripped down her hands from the pressure with which she clenched her fists. She whipped around with blinding speed.

"_What_?" It was practically a snarl. If Deidara hadn't known any better, he'd have thought there were small tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

And then she saw his reason for calling out to her, his reason for attempting to calm her down.

Itachi was sitting up beside his otouto.

Very much alive.

Very much healthy.

Very much surprised.

Very much amused.

In speechless shock, Sakura's strength gave out. She crumpled to the ground on her ass, legs bent on either side of her at the knees. Everything around her disappeared as she stared with impossibly wide eyes at the obviously-not-dead Uchiha.

Her brain shut down. She couldn't even begin to comprehend the situation, no matter that the answer stared her in the face.

Voldemort had thrown the Killing Curse, intending to get rid of Sakura. Itachi, noticing this while the wizard was still saying the words for the spell, formed a plan in less than a second and put it into action.

His plan: step in front of Sakura to keep her from being hit by it, gather chakra in his back to greatly dilute the curse until it would have literally no effect on him, and fake his own death to bring a false sense of victory over Voldemort. And then, while the man was distracted with sadistic glee, he'd appear right behind him and cut him down before he could even yell out in triumph.

Only, he hadn't counted on Sakura having a complete and utter mental breakdown and pulverizing the wizard for him.

Despite that, the man was dead. So he was satisfied. And amused.

Sakura fell flat on her back, arms dropping to either side. Her body wasn't cooperating any more. And, Kami, she was so _tired_.

A long, agonizing silence stretched on for an eternity as Sakura stared sightlessly up at the sky. Deidara and Kisame exchanged another somewhat worried look. They had expected a sigh of relief or a smile — maybe even a few tears of joy.

But, no.

They were getting nothing out of her. She wasn't reacting. She didn't seem relieved or glad in the slightest. She was just...blank.

That was when the laughter started.

It began very quietly, much too low for the witches and wizards of Hogwarts to hear. Then it became slightly louder.

And louder.

And louder.

And louder still.

And then, it was full-blown psychotic laughter.

Deidara and Kisame's eyes were wide, and the spell-casters looked a bit scared. Sakura was lying spread-eagle on the demolished ground, chest trembling slightly as loud, high-pitched hysterical laughter exploded from her lungs.

Kami, they must think she's psycho. The laughter just wouldn't stop. She felt extremely light-headed and cut off from the rest of the world, almost as though it was all a dream. She didn't see. She didn't hear. She didn't taste. She didn't feel. She didn't smell. She didn't think.

She just laughed.

Spine-scraping, lung-crushing, gut-rupturing laughter.

Gradually, Deidara and Kisame began to relax. They looked bewildered but incredibly relieved. Deidara even managed a few quiet, breathless chuckles of his own. Kisame grinned at the rosette.

"Damn, kitten," he remarked roughly. "If I'd have known you'd do all the work for us, I wouldn't have bothered to fight. Itachi should've played dead earlier."

Sakura's hysterical laughter abruptly halted.

She passed out.


	15. Eel, Anyone?

Everyone enjoyed Itachi's utter bastard-ness in the last chapter, yes? Well, it's about to get better, if I do say so myself. :3 Oh, and for those who asked: Yes, Sasuke and Itachi killed Madara. It'll be explained in detail in the next chapter.

Please read and review! :)

* * *

Sakura's eyes snapped open and she flew into a sitting position. Immediately, a hand clamped onto her shoulder and steadied her. Her gaze shot to her right to see Itachi sitting on the side of her bed, watching her with something glinting in his eyes. She was in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts.

"Slowly," he advised, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder.

His warning was too late, though. A massive migraine pounded in Sakura's temples, bringing a grimace to her face. She dropped her chin slightly and rubbed her forehead with her left palm, inwardly swearing up a storm and not realizing that Itachi's hand was the only thing supporting her.

Yeah. Sitting up that fast probably hadn't been such a great idea.

Then Sakura remembered:

Itachi had faked his own death in order to evoke a sense of victory in Voldemort so that he could then strike him down in his distracted state. He just hadn't counted on Sakura going psycho and basically destroying everything because she'd thought he was dead — _because of her_. Very violent reaction. And then the jackass had had the gall to smirk at her. _Smirk!_

Sakura glared at him fiercely from beneath a few strands of messy hair.

"Bastard," she growled at him.

Cue amused smirk.

"My sight must have been deceiving me, Sakura," Itachi murmured smoothly, smugly, "because it seemed as though you had something in your eyes — something that caused you to tear up. Dust, perhaps? Dirt? By all means, enlighten me on this matter."

It was true.

When Deidara had said her name and she whipped around and yelled, they had been there. Tears had welled up at the corners of her eyes, but she _hadn't_ been crying, damn it. She'd refused to let the tears fall, ergo she wasn't crying.

End of story.

So there.

Sakura shot Itachi the most deadly glare she'd ever formed in her entire life and threw his hand from her shoulder as she punched him in the side. (Probably not so smart, seeing as she swayed and had to catch herself with her other hand after losing Itachi's support, but fuck it.) Sure, she hadn't used any chakra, but it was still a damn good punch. If Itachi had been a civilian or even a genin, he would've yelled out. But he was a shinobi — an _elite_ shinobi — and he could take pain. A lot of pain.

Her action seemed to amuse him to no end, serving to further piss her off.

When Sakura had first joined the Akatsuki, she was as stone-faced as Itachi. She was bitingly cold to everyone, and she spoke to no one. Deidara was the first to spark a reaction out of her. He'd been sparring with — ahem, _fighting_ — Itachi, and he'd had his ass handed to him in fifty seconds flat. Itachi, being the kind, caring man that he was, sought out Sakura and ordered her to go heal the blond. After glaring at him briefly (she didn't take too well to orders), she stalked off and did so.

Deidara was an absolute mess. Itachi had beat him all to hell and back. His injuries took a surprisingly long time to heal, even for Sakura. Noting the blank look on the kunoichi's face as she patched him up, Deidara made it his personal mission to get some kind of reaction out of her. So, throughout the entire healing session, he pestered her with questions, none of which she answered, and jokes, none of which effected her. He had even tried the really lame, really stupid ones that _no one_ could resist laughing at.

Except Sakura, obviously. (And Itachi, but that was beside the point.)

Deidara frowned to himself when he saw that nothing was working. He sighed.

"You should smile once in a while, yeah," he remarked bluntly, appearing to be brooding slightly. "I bet you'd be really pretty if you did. And stop acting like that anal Uchiha bastard, 'cause that's seriously not attractive."

That time, Deidara hadn't been trying to get a reaction from her; he'd just been stating a fact. Sakura halted the healing process immediately and stared blankly at the blond. He arched an eyebrow.

"What, yeah?"

Sakura appeared to snort in amusement. Then she flat-out laughed.

Honestly, it scared him at first. Deidara jumped, not know what to expect, and his instant thought was: _Oh shit, yeah. She's psycho._

But then he grinned when he saw that she was laughing. And boy, did she laugh. It didn't end for a long while, and the entire time Deidara wore an expression of deep self-satisfaction. Ego boost.

Unbeknownst to them, Itachi had witnessed the event. From that moment on, Sakura allowed herself to express emotions — not much at all, though, but still progress. She smiled (a _true_ smile) once in a blue moon and she had yet to laugh since that day (excluding the previous day, because Itachi honestly did not consider that hysterical cackling 'laughter'), but anger seemed to be the emotion she could identify with the most.

And, Kami, did it amuse Itachi to rile her up. It was addictive.

Sakura shifted to climb out of the hospital bed, but Itachi rested a hand on her right shoulder again to stop her. She fired an accusing glower back at him. His smirk had faded.

"Don't," he ordered. "Stay here for an hour or two until you are certain that you're well."

Sakura was greatly offended by his statement. Did he think that she couldn't take care of herself because she was a girl? She was a medic, dang it, and she knew her limits. She'd be fine on her own, and she didn't need — _or_ want — anyone's help.

"What — do you _own_ me know?" the kunoichi snapped.

Suddenly, Itachi's smirk returned full-force.

"Yes," he replied smoothly. "I believe I do."

Sakura nearly exploded after staring at him stupidly for a good two minutes.

"_What_ did yo—"

In less than a heartbeat, Itachi's mouth was at her ear. She stiffened, the words dying in her throat. Her mouth dried up. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin around her ear, sending unwanted tingles down her spine.

Did this man know what he was doing to her? she wondered faintly. Did he realize the reaction he was causing?

"I intend to claim you," he murmured lowly, possessively, "and I have for quite a while now. After witnessing your reaction the other day, I expect you not to complicate things by resisting."

Sakura stared wide-eyed, momentarily rendered speechless. 'And I have for quite a while now'? Exactly how long was he talking about? She clamped down the wall in her mind.

No.

Her gaze slid slowly over to the man beside her, drinking in the closeness of his face to her own and his devil's advocate smirk.

"Wh-what are you—"

"Lying," Itachi cut her off, "to both yourself _and_ me will get you nowhere, Sa-ku-ra."

Sakura involuntarily shivered, absolutely horrified with herself for the way that she was reacting. She couldn't keep the small dusting of red off her face. Itachi's eyes were naturally black when his Sharingan wasn't activated, but they had darkened considerably over the course of their conversation — or lack thereof. His hair was slightly untidy (shockingly!) and a few raven-colored strands had escaped the band at the nape of his neck, resting lightly against his cheek. His lips were still curved up in that damnable smirk, and his low voice did wonders to Sakura's nerves. The way he'd said her name, pausing slightly after each syllable, pronouncing each letter in that impossibly smooth liquid-fire voice of his, made it sound almost dirty.

The man was much too attractive for his own good. It was practically _illegal_ to be that good-looking. Plus, adding in the fact that he was a genius, a prodigy, and a master of seduction —

Then, that clicked in Sakura's head.

He was a master of seduction. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and he was enjoying every minute of it.

Son of a _bitch_.

Sakura could have killed him. She honestly could have killed him. Rage boiled in her stomach and bitterness clamped her throat closed. Kami, she was so _stupid_. What was she _thinking_? Itachi finding Sakura intriguing — as a woman?

Honestly.

There was a better chance of Deidara getting toe fungus and Kisame licking the man's foot.

Itachi watched with mute curiosity as the rosette progressively became more furious. To his surprise — and furthering to interest him — Sakura looked like she was either going to burst into tears or explode in pure anger. She had never once cried since joining the Akatsuki. She was not someone to easily be rendered emotionally weak. He wondered what she could be thinking that upset her so badly.

"You _bastard_," she hissed, face red with rage, teeth gritted, fists clenched. Small drops in the corners of her eyes. "How _dare_ you. Is this all a _game_ to you — because I'm not fucking playing."

Sakura knew what his answer would be. His smirk would widen and he would chuckle. Then he'd look at her in amusement and say, "Of course, Sa-ku-ra. Did you honestly think that I could ever be interested in you in _that_ manner?"

Sakura knew he was going to. She just knew it.

But he didn't.

Instead, his expression flattened, no trace of amusement visible. In fact, he almost looked a little..._angry_.

"Is that," he said coldly, "truly how you perceive me?" His eyes darkened. "I am not playing a game, Sakura. As amusing as it may be to encourage your temper, I do not participate in games such as that."

Sakura's anger disappeared and her mind went blank. She was thrown back to square one. He...what? He wasn't toying with her? This wasn't a game? He—

Oh, Kami.

He was _serious_?

Sakura abruptly whipped around and sat rigidly, her back to him and her hands clenching the sheets of the hospital bed.

But she hadn't been quick enough. She hadn't been _nearly_ quick enough.

Itachi had seen her eyes shoot open wide, and he had seen her face blaze thirty shades of red — plus fifty more when he smirked at her knowingly. The Uchiha chuckled lowly under his breath.

"How utterly childish, Sakura," he murmured with the underlying tone of a taunt in his voice.

Two Hogwarts students passed by, staring openly at the pair. Sakura shot them a demonic scowl, and they were _gone_. Itachi chuckled again and lowered his voice generously. A few other Hogwarts students, plus Madam Pomfrey, were still taking their sweet ass time in the Hospital Wing, and it was best if no one overheard them. He had a feeling that that would piss Sakura off even more, and as amusing as that would be to see, this was neither the time nor place.

"There is no cause for alarm," he remarked, obviously wickedly entertained. He had leaned in again, deriving smug satisfaction from the way her back stiffened. "I will not rush it; I'll take my time in claiming you so that we both might be gratified."

Itachi didn't need to see Sakura's face to know that she was coloring considerably. He could feel it.

Plus, many of the students had stopped to stare — damn rubbernecks — and were whispering to one another.

Shaking his head slightly, Itachi stood and gazed down at Sakura, who still blatantly refused to look at him. That was enough for today — or for now, at least; anymore, and Sakura would probably knock a chunk of the castle off. (He wouldn't put it past her.) His expression grew sober for a moment.

"Do not leave the Hospital Wing," he advised. "If you must, give yourself a medical examination, but stay here for at least an hour."

"Why?" Sakura demanded, obviously still royally ticked off.

But Itachi wasn't smirking. He was serious.

"You were out for two days."

Sakura stilled, falling silent. She didn't know how to reply to that. Itachi watched her for a moment longer before turning and walking out of the Hospital Wing.

.

.

.

It wasn't until sometime around noon, about four hours later, that Sakura finally left the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had pushed a rolling cart up with a plate full of unidentifiable gray matter for 'lunch', and the kunoichi had been out of there faster than you could say, "lunch is served". So, obviously, the first place Sakura went was the Great Hall. (She probably should have gotten clothes from her dorm and changed first, seeing as she was wearing bloodied and torn shinobi attire, but she honestly didn't give a shit.)

And, of course, everyone fell silent and stared shamelessly when Sakura walked in. She scowled at them all.

"'The hell are you all looking at?" she growled.

Immediately, four hundred plus students turned away to stutter out weak conversations. Scowl still in place, Sakura stalked over to the Slytherin table and claimed her spot between Draco and Itachi. Sasuke, to her mild surprise, sat on the other side of Itachi. (What the heck was he still doing here? Oh, whatever; it wasn't liked she cared, anyway.)

Itachi, to her great irritation, looked amused. She openly glared at him, and he smirked back. Sensing that he was about to speak, Sakura cut him off.

"Not. A. _Word_," she ground out between clenched teeth.

The man simply smirked at her a moment loner before returning to what he was eating (bocchan dango and rice). Sasuke eyed the pair with a slight frown, chewing on his third tomato and reaching out to grab a fourth. Sakura glanced down at the food sitting before her. Curry rice, unagi with sansyo, and udon sprinkled heavily with shichimi. She grimaced at the sansyo-covered unagi, grabbed the plate, and held it up a little higher than her head.

"Oi!" she called. "Kisame!"

The talking all stopped, and everyone turned to stare at Sakura. Itachi raised an eyebrow. The blue-skinned man looked at her blankly from across the Great Hall at the Gryffindor table. Sakura delivered a fake smile and pointed at the dish.

"Want some eel?" she offered loudly. "I know you don't eat fish and all because they're your cousins, but eels are different, aren't they?"

Kisame seethed in his seat and glowered at the rosette's shit-eating grin, jaw clenching when Deidara laughed at his side.

"You better watch your back and sleep with one eye open," he threatened darkly. "Just you wait."

Sakura merely beamed at him. "Oh, so you don't want it? Such a shame. How about you, Deidara?"

The blond was grinning widely at Kisame's glare. "Sure, yeah."

Sakura turned and hopped out of her seat, striding calmly across the entirety of the Great Hall to deliver the plate to Deidara. The professors — even Snape, who scowled at the kunoichi — remained silent, because honestly? What could they do to stop them?

Deidara was nearly laughing again when Sakura gave him the plate, (fake) smiled brightly at Kisame, and returned to her seat as if all was right in the world. The shark-affiliated man was obviously pissed.

It was quiet for a long moment. Gradually, after sitting in a tense silence for nearly three minutes, the students began to talk again. Itachi shook his head lightly, smirk curving on his lips. There was something wrong with that girl.


	16. All Itachi's Fault

Before anyone gets pissed — yes. I know. I've been gone for a long time. I was grounded.

And, yes, in fact, I DO realize that this is a short chapter.

Nevertheless, I hope you all like it. :) This story only has a few chapters left, so please enjoy!

Please read and review! :D

* * *

Sakura had had it. This was the last straw.

Uchiha Itachi was fucking _dead_.

Sakura had set the alarm clock on her night stand (kindly provided by Dumbledore) to wake her at five the next morning. Instead, however, she woke up past noon to find a note resting on the clock.

_Do not strain yourself._

Unsigned, of course, but she knew who it was from.

Sakura had been pissed, but she'd gotten over it grudgingly. It was just his way of checking in on her, she'd told herself. He wasn't trying to belittle her; he was just concerned. No, he _didn't_ watch her while she slept like a freakish stalker, and, no, he _didn't_ think her incapable of taking care of herself.

Yeah.

Fat chance.

Then, when she'd stormed into the Great Hall and claimed her seat for lunch, the jerk had smirked at her. After glaring Black Flames O' Doom at him, Sakura had swallowed it like a bitter pill.

So he wanted to be annoying? Fine. She'd take it. And she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of getting angry, either.

Easier said than done, of course.

It had been slightly less difficult to deal with the infuriating man after that, but not by much. He was still an egotistical bastard, after all.

She's remained silent (fuming, mind you) when he 'accidentally' broke her chopsticks and made her use his. She's ignored his damnable smirks and the hidden taunts in his words. She'd put up with the way he watched her as though she were a piece of meat. She'd even stayed calm (somewhat) when he 'misplaced' her new dragon-hide gloves — WHICH SHE WAS STILL PISSED ABOUT, YOU STUPID PRICK.

But not now. Not this.

This was where she drew the line.

That bastard was going _down_.

He had worded it so perfectly that only Sakura (and Sasuke, because he and his brother thought alike) could pick up on the underlying meaning. The five shinobi had been examining the caged animals in the back of Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class — because, honestly, they had nothing better to do — when he said it. Itachi's comment was so out of the blue that it threw them all for a loop. Then, when Sakura proceeded to yell at him, the others (save for Sasuke) had no clue why she was so angry.

Itachi's comment, you ask? What could he have possibly said that made Sakura's temper explode. He, kind, considerate Uchiha Itachi, saying something that made the pink-haired nineteen-year-old want to castrate him? Blasphemy. Utter blasphemy, I say.

It went a little something like this:

"I believe that our feline companions are justified in sharing a single cage. Haran is clearly a worthy mate for Kurohyou. Their offspring would possess remarkable traits and abilities. I'm curious as to your thoughts on this matter, Sa-ku-ra."

Sakura probably could have told herself that his..._statement_ was simply a coincidence. However, a few key factors argued otherwise.

A: Sasuke's head had snapped up the instant the words left Itachi's mouth, so she wasn't the only one to notice.

B: Uchiha Itachi never said anything without reason and/or carefully choosing his words.

C: The way he'd said her name sounded very..._dirty_.

D. He had been smirking at her.

E: Ergo, they both knew that he was _not_, in fact, talking about the cats.

Be default, any control she'd had whatsoever over her temper shattered.

That resulted in a lot of yelling, a lot of throwing, and a lot of violence in general. McGonagall abruptly deposited the five shinobi in Dumbledore's office.

"What seems to be the problem?" the elderly wizard inquired, blue eyes watching them all carefully from behind half-moon spectacles. A silent _'this time'_ hung in the air between them.

"Nothing," Sakura mumbled, still glaring at Itachi. "Just a minor misunderstanding." Itachi was obviously amused.

Dumbledore regarded the shinobi calmly, taking in the situation. Judging by Itachi's smirk, Sakura's scowl, the faint streak of red on her face, and Sasuke's pissed-off expression, the Headmaster had a good guess as to what had happened. He smiled slightly.

"I have agreed to provide hospitality for the next three days," he said, "but regrettably I will be forced to send the five of you away sooner if any further damage is dealt to the school."

Kisame shot her a look. "Good going, kitten." Sakura glowered back.

In all fairness, she hadn't _meant_ to blow a giant hole in the wall. It just...happened. McGonagall's classroom needed another doorway, anyway.

Besides, it was all Itachi's fault.

"I propose that the two of you spend the day in the Room of Requirement and work out your issues."

Sakura froze, Sasuke looked even _more_ pissed than before, and Itachi's smirk widened slightly, eyes on the former.

"_What_?" the kunoichi choked out incredulously, staring at Dumbledore as though the man was crazy. In that moment, she was certain that he knew what was going on.

"Should you be in need of something upon which to relieve your frustrations, the Room will provide it for you," he explained simply. "You would be free to take out any negative emotions in the school without actually damaging it."

Itachi was looking straight at Sakura, smirk in place. "A very logical resolution, I believe."

Sakura glared openly at him. "Not in _my_ opinion."

Deidara and Kisame were genuinely confused. What was Sakura so worked up about? Okay, so maybe she didn't want her cat to have kittens with Itachi's. Big deal. Nothing to attempt to murder him over. The pair exchanged dumbfounded looks, wordlessly settling on an answer:

Sakura was a woman.

Women were weird.

And complicated.

And they were meant to unintentionally screw with men's minds.

Ergo, Sakura was complicated.

Period.

They nodded in agreement. There. Who ever said that men couldn't figure things out when they thought about it a little? Pssh.

.

.

.

It was then that Sakura decided the world hated her. She wasn't sure of her views on God, but she knew that someone or something up there just seriously liked to fuck with her. Maybe Hidan was right; maybe there _was_ a death god named Jashin that was now making her life a living hell for fighting with the silver-haired man all the time.

She glared murderously at Itachi, calling him every curse word she could think of in her head. He merely smirked back, looking as if he had all the time in the world. Which he probably did.

They were both sitting on the floor in the Room of Requirement.

"Shall we 'talk it out,' then?" Itachi inquired, obviously amused.

Sakura's DIEDIEFLAMESGRR death glare didn't affect him in the slightest, serving only for further amusement. "No," she growled, arms crossed over her chest, fingernails digging into her biceps. "Why don't you actually do something useful? Help Deidara, Kisame, and me with our plans."

He raised an eyebrow smoothly, the insult bouncing off him as though he hadn't heard it. "And what exactly would these plans be?"

Sakura fixed him with a stern look, making sure he knew that she was serious. "You know the talks we've had about Madara?" He nodded slightly, sensing where the conversation was headed. "We've come to the conclusion," she said evenly, "that he needs to be taken down. We've already created the basic structure of the plans, but we still need to hammer out a few details. With you on our side, it would run much more smoothly, and we'd be able to cut down on some of the more taxing pieces —"

"Madara is already dead."

Sakura didn't keep talking after his explanation like many slow-processing people usually did. Instead, she stared at him blankly.

"He's...dead?"

Of course, Itachi probably still thought she was an idiot.

"Hn."

"...you killed him?"

"My brother and I, yes."

"...when?"

"Four days ago. Roughly an hour before we arrived to aid Kisame, Deidara, and yourself."

"...and you failed to mention this, _why_?"

"I saw no point in bringing up the topic."

"Our tyrannical leader is _dead_, and _you_ killed him. You didn't think that was something we ought to _know_ about?"

Itachi's gaze was blunt, as if saying, "I already explained my purpose, you idiot."

"You are such a _bastard_," Sakura hissed, fists clenched. "All this time, I've been unable to sleep and worrying over _nothing_—"

"Worrying?" Itachi cut in, forcing her to look at him. She didn't like the look in his eye. "Over what, pray tell?"

Sakura glared at him. "Nothing. Didn't you hear me?"

If Itachi had been anyone else, he would've rolled his eyes. She was an incredibly difficult woman, and he often wondered why he bothered putting up with her.

"I don't suppose," he murmured, capturing her gaze in his, "that you will cease your resistance and make my efforts less difficult?"

She looked as though she was mentally bashing his skull in. "_No_."

This, Itachi thought, was why he did it — why he put up with her. She was just so damn interesting. Every female he had ever met immediately caved into whatever he demanded of them; Sakura didn't. She fought back — often physically — until she realized that she had lost or until she got her way. She didn't grovel at his feet because of his name or looks, and she sure as hell didn't go easy on him. She was strong-willed and -minded — just like him.

That was a very rare trait in kunoichi.

And _damn_ did Itachi like it.

o o o O O O o o o

Deidara lay flat on his back on the ground, throwing a dirt clod into the air and catching it over and over. He glared up at the sky, utterly bored out of his mind. Kisame sat a few feet away, leaning against a rather large tree. Samehada was stuck in the ground beside him. Sasuke sat on the second lowest branch in the tree in the same manner as Kisame, one leg dangling toward the ground. He, unlike Deidara, glared at _everything_.

It was silent on the Hogwarts grounds. Not a creature was stirring except for the hideous beasts stalking all throughout the Forbidden Forest, making god-awful noises in an attempt to scare away the shinobi. (The…_things_ were still pissed about the Akatsuki members frightening them off when they were training in the forest a few days previous.)

Obviously, it didn't work.

It just served to piss them all off.

Fed up, Deidara stuck his hand in his clay pouch. The extra mouth on his palm bit off a small chunk of white clay and chewed methodically. After a moment, it spit out a tiny white bird. Deidara made a sign with one hand, making the beautiful agent of death expand to twice its original size. He chucked it at the Forbidden Forest, made another hand sign, and the fake bird exploded.

The howls and screeches immediately stopped. Deidara grunted.

"Damn weird beasts, yeah," he muttered.

Kisame snorted, and Sasuke wore a "How immature" expression. A few seconds later, Professor McGonagall rushed out of the castle.

"What happened?" she demanded. "I heard a —"

"Sorry, yeah," Deidara mumbled, not sounding sorry at all.

McGonagall glared at him briefly before whipping around and stalking back to the castle. The three shinobi faintly heard her speaking to another teacher. "No, no; nothing's wrong. One of those guardians just decided to set off a bomb for some god-unknown reason."

Kisame grinned widely, giving a rough laugh. "Good way to make a name for yourself," he jibed. "I can see it now, kid: 'Deidara the Destroyer'."

Deidara scowled at the fish-man as he chuckled. "Go jump off a cliff."


	17. Stupid Arrogant Bastard

So, yes; I've been writing as much as possible to make up for my months of being grounded. I'm sad that this and _Worlds Apart, Yet So Close_ are going to be over soon, but I'm proud of myself for getting this far, you know? Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews, and thank you for continuing to read this, even when it took me a while to update.

Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. The next one will be longer; I promise. :)

Please read and review!

* * *

"Honestly, Sakura, I do not believe we are making progress."

"Shut up! Stupid fucking Uchiha — I outta rip your goddamn head off!"

That was the gist of their entire conversation, expanding for over an hour. Needless to say, Sakura had no intentions of giving in and letting Itachi have his way. He was _not_ going to claim her; she'd see to that. Whoever said she even _wanted_ to be claimed by Uchiha Itachi?

Because she didn't.

Like, at all.

Because Itachi was an arrogant bastard.

And his ego was too big.

And he was mean.

So, there.

.

.

.

Harry and Ron made a point of walking past the Room of Requirement on their way to their potions class. Hermione rolled her eyes, sighing and shaking her head as she followed them. The two boys slowed their pace and glanced around the hall. Then, as if they were spies or — ironically enough — ninja, they darted across and flattened themselves to the wall. Hermione glared at them as they inched their way toward the door.

Slowly.

Painfully slowly.

Ron stuck his ear by the door.

Silence.

The faint sounds of talking — or, rather, _yelling_ — floated out to the three.

"_Fuck you!"_

"_As I stated five minutes ago, I would gladly—"_

"_Do you __**want**__ me to punch you? !"_

"_I do not desire pain, Sakura. I am no masochist. I've said this, as well, many times during this conversation. We are merely repeating ourselves, and I think it best if we move on to a more pressing subject."_

"_Oh? Then what would __**you**__ like to talk about, Itachi Von Strangle?"_

"_My proposition, of course. I've yet to see you cease your resistance—"_

"_Fuck that! I am __**not**__ going to talk about this!"_

"_Our entire point in being here—"_

Ron and Harry heard no more.

It most likely had something to do with Hermione snatching their ears and yanking them away from the door.

"Ow!" Ron objected. "_Hermione_!"

"That," she snapped, dumping the pair in the middle of the hall, "is what you get for eavesdropping!"

"But, Hermione —"

"No 'but's!"

"Oh, come on!" Ron complained, rubbing his poor, wounded ear. "We're just _curious_! Is that a crime, now? !"

Her glower silenced both of them.

"Now, move!" she barked.

The pair shot to their feet and scurried down the hall, desperate not to anger the drill sergeant again. Hermione sighed again, shaking her head incredulously.

Boys. They just didn't understand these things.

She paused to glance at the Room of Requirement's door. Then smiled.

Men were so complicated.

And _weird_.

She wished Sakura luck with that man and hurried off to catch up with Harry and Ron.

.

.

.

Sakura and Itachi heard and sensed nothing of the trio. They wanted no disturbances, ergo the Room of Requirement provided it: a one-way sound-proofing.

Of course, if they _had_ realized that the sell-casters were listening in…well, it wouldn't have been pretty. Sakura would've stomped them into the ground.

Itachi would've just killed them.

Simple.

"I don't care what our entire point in being here is!" Sakura growled. "I am _not_ talking about it!"

She didn't like the smirk he wore or that look in his eye.

"Could it be," he murmured, "that I discomfit you?"

Sakura glared at him as if he had killed her mother.

"_No_," she hissed, turning away childishly and crossing her arms over her chest. She lifted her chin and closed her eyes, the picture of disobedience. "You do _not_ make me uncomfortable. You _piss me off_."

"Is that so?" Her back stiffened. She could sense him very closely behind her, his smooth voice at her ear. She _knew_ he was smirking; she just knew it. "I think differently."

Sakura couldn't reply. Her breath was caught in her throat. Her heart pounded at a mile a minute. She was paralyzed.

His breath tickled the sensitive skin of her ear, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine. Her body tingled; she was hyper-aware of him. His every breath, his every movement.

She was reminded of their encounter in the Hospital Wing. She had thought he was playing her — toying with her in some sick, twisted game. But he wasn't. He'd said so, and he'd meant it; she'd seen it in his eyes.

This, she realized, was one power of the Uchihas.

They had ways of getting what they wanted.

Plus, they were all pretty damn good-looking.

Not that it mattered.

At all. Right?

Right?

Sakura nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt cool, calloused fingers lightly skim her jaw. Slowly, they slid along and gripped her chin. She had no control as he deliberately turned her head.

His face was only a whisper away. Sakura couldn't help it; she swallowed. Instead of smirking like he usually would have, he eyes were attracted to her mouth at the action. Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly, betraying her.

His eyes — his natural eyes — darkened. Her heart leapt into her throat. Her fingers curled into the smooth fabric of his long-sleeved black shirt (provided by Hogwarts, of course). His other hand gripped her elbow. His gaze locked onto hers evenly. Her fingers tightened in his shirt. She didn't push him back.

He dipped his head.

And kissed her.

.

.

.

"How fucking long," Sasuke growled, slinging a rock at the ground, "are they going to be in there?"

He still sat on the branch. Kisame still sat against the tree. Deidara still laid on the ground. Not much had changed during the hours.

Kisame shrugged indifferently, scratching the back of his head to relieve the itch he'd had for the past forty or so minutes. "Beats me, kid," he grunted. "If I know kitten, they'll be in there for a while. Don't be surprised if you brother shows up with a broken arm or something."

Deidara snorted, throwing the dirt clod again and caching it. "She won't calm down very easily, yeah," he remarked, smirking. (Because, honestly, who _doesn't_ like to see an Uchiha getting dogged on by a woman?) "She'll beat him all to hell and back, judging by the way she tried to kill him earlier."

Kisame gave a short, rough laugh. "What the hell was that about, anyway?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. "So she doesn't want her cat and Itachi's bump'n ugly and making little tiny cats. Big deal. She didn't have to go all psycho and throw shit and try to strangle him."

Deidara laughed. "Who cares?" he retorted with his trademark grin. "It was damn funny, yeah."

"You two are idiots," Sasuke said bluntly. "I honestly can't see how either of you got into the most powerful criminal organization in the world."

Deidara muttered under his breath about what a little bastard the Uchiha was, shooting him a death glare. Kisame fixed him with a dry look.

"Look, brat," he snapped, "if you think you're so smart, then why don' you enlighten us? Go ahead — explain to us the inner workings of the crazy hellcat's mind."

He delivered them both a flat glare. "Itachi wasn't talking about the damn cats," he hissed.

Silence.

Confusion.

More silence.

Then:

Click.

"_What_, yeah? !"

.

.

.

The students all sat in the Great Hall, chattering and just beginning to eat. They'd had half a day of their classes already, and they were hungry, damn it. Putting up with Professor Snape for a potions class, suffering through two hours with that man — they _deserved_ this food.

Of course, not every student had Potions that day before lunch, but…

Aw, hell. They _all_ deserved to eat.

Because they were in school.

And school was a bitch.

So, yeah.

Dumbledore and the professors sat at the head of the Great Hall as usual, making polite conversation as they feasted upon the meal. The Gryffindor table was as lively as always, laughing and occasionally throwing food (ahem, the Weasley twins, that is).

Until the large doors were kicked open, that is.

All talking immediately ceased, and every person in the room turned to see what was going on. Deidara was fuming in the doorway, looking as though he was seriously considering blowing up the next person that so much as looked at him the wrong way. Kisame stood a ways back, obviously amused, with Sasuke at his side. The younger man was most definitely pissed, but not as much as Deidara.

"Where," the blond demanded, "is the Room of Requirement? !"

"Deidara—" He glanced over in surprise "—what the _hell_ are you doing?"

Sakura and Itachi were sitting at the Slytherin table. Staring at him like he was an idiot.

And not fighting.

Relaxed in each other's company.

Deidara clenched his fists.

Thinking quickly, he made up something.

"We need to talk," he said, earning a raised eyebrow from both of them. "Now."

o o o O O O o o o

Hatake Kakashi glanced around the outskirts of Amegakure, sharp eyes taking in everything. His hitai-ate had been lifted, revealing his Sharingan. His five teammates — Yamato, Sai, Uzumaki Naruto, Nara Shikamaru, and Hyuga Neji — were all in position to attack behind him. It was quiet.

He didn't like that rain. It wasn't natural. He could see chakra within each individual drop.

They were taking every precaution, keeping away from the rain until they knew what it would do.

Except Naruto, of course.

"Come _on_!" he yelled, springing up from his place. "What the heck are we doing here? ! You said Sasuke was here, so let's go!"

"Naruto, don't—"

But it was too late.

The blond charged right into the rain and made a beeline for the village. Kakashi sighed, shaking his head.

"Damn it, Naruto."

With a grimace, he gave the signal to move out. The couldn't leave the idiot alone, after all. There was no telling how much trouble he'd get into.

All at once, the five shinobi darted after the jinchuriki, mentally cursing him for his lack of common sense. Thankfully, nothing happened.

The rain didn't turn to acid and melt their faces off. Enemies didn't start leaping out from behind every rock. They didn't spontaneously combust.

Nothing.

Unbeknownst (and very fortunately) to them, Pein and Konan were away on business elsewhere. So there was no one around that could sense chakra signatures through the rain.

Then, Neji's sharp eyes caught something. "Hold up!" he called.

The other immediately halted at his order — even Naruto, who was a good twenty feet ahead of them. Thirty or so more feet past the blond was the thing that Neji had seen.

It was…well, he didn't know _what_ the hell it was.

The air just…_looked_ funny. It was…

Neji frowned.

What the hell? The air was _moving_. Not like it normally moves, because, obviously, air moves; it looked as though it was alive. It warped and twisted, to the shinobi's surprise.

That was when it opened up and spat out a group of people.

o o o O O O o o o

Deidara was still pissed. He had intended on getting directions to the Room of Requirement, busting in, and bitching out Itachi because, um, hello: he saw Sakura first.

And he liked her first.

So, there.

But _that_ plan had been ruined.

To his irritation, Sakura and that Uchiha bastard seemed to be buddy-buddy again. All was right in their little world.

Their little world that didn't include him.

And as much as he wanted to blow the evil fucker up, he knew he couldn't. For a few reasons:

No. 1 – Unfortunately, Itachi was stronger than him. (Damn him.)

No. 2 – Sakura would get pissed if he did.

No. 3 – He was _not_ jealous. At all.

No. 4 – He knew when he had lost.

So, despite whatever feelings he may have harbored toward Sakura, he knew he didn't stand a chance. Better to give up than get hurt.

"Deidara, what the _hell_ is going on?" Sakura demanded. The five shinobi were conversing a couple hallways away from the Great Hall.

He frowned. "We need to go home, yeah," he said, acting upon his quick thinking. Sure, he'd just made it up in a split-second to keep himself from looking like a fucking moron, but whatever; they _did_ need to go home eventually. Why not now? To add credibility to his statement, he continued: "I don't like this place. It's too damn weird, yeah. I'd rather be back in familiar territory."

To his surprise, Sakura appeared somewhat sympathetic. "Yeah," she muttered in agreement, eyeing the strange stone walls of the hallway distastefully. "I don't like it either. I think I might punch the side of the castle or something just so that Dumbledore-sama will send us back already."

Kisame barked a laugh.

"Violent woman," Sasuke grunted, shooting her a reproachful look. "What the hell is the matter with you? Do you just punch shit as the answer to everything?"

Sakura gave him a flat look in return. "I don't know," she retorted, cracking her knuckles. "Let's find out, shall we? You can be my test subject."

Sasuke snorted. Like Deidara, he was still pissed, too. Sakura was hogging his older brother, and as far as he was concerned, she could go jump off a cliff. He just got Itachi back, damn it! And now this girl was going to _steal_ him from him? Um, like, _no_. Unh-uh. Not happening.

"We still have to deal with Madara," Deidara reminded them. "We've got to take that bastard down—"

"Itachi and Sasuke already killed him."

"—once and for— _what?_"

"Yeah," Sakura agreed flatly, sending Itachi an irritated look. "He didn't bother mentioning it until about an hour ago."

"When did this happen?" Kisame inquired, one eyebrow raised.

"Before they showed up here."

Good God, Uchiha's were impossible.

Deidara sighed, scowling. "Well, that's _one_ problem taken care of," he remarked dryly.

"So, we're going back?" Kisame confirmed.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. We're going back."


	18. Returning Home

So, yeah — I told you this chapter would be longer. :D

I was going to make the next chater the last one, but I think I'll make this story an even twenty chapters. My OCD demands it.

The beginning of this chapter was hard to write, so be grateful; I worked my ass off on it. The ending, however, was much easier. And much more fun. OwO

Well, I hope you all like it!

Please read and review!

* * *

"Are you certain," Dumbledore asked for confirmation, "that you all wish to leave now?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, still stuck with the spokesperson job of the group. "We wouldn't want to trouble you for a few more days, simply because we're too lazy to return home."

Dumbledore gave a deep nod. "Very well," he murmured, eyes twinkling as he smiled. "You all are welcome here, should you ever feel the desire to return. Send my regards to Mr. Madara."

Sakura bowed, while the rest of the lazy bastards merely stood there. They hadn't told Dumbledore about Madara being dead, because, well…it would unnecessarily complicate things. He handed her a portkey wrapped in newspaper.

"Unwrap that when you are all ready," he instructed. "Make sure to take hold of it quickly. Once you have arrived in your own world, immediately remove your hands from it. It has been charmed to return here exactly twenty seconds after you touch down."

"Thank you," the kunoichi said solemnly, accepting the package.

"And here," Dumbledore continued, pulling out a cloth bag, "is your payment." Sakura accepted it graciously as well. "I converted it into your currency using a charm." He smiled. "I still remember much from my visit to your world." He noted their lack of baggage. "Have you gathered your belongings together?"

Sakura gave a tight smile and drew her away her cloak, showing off three scroll secured to her hip. "We have our things sealed up within scrolls and ready to go." She met his blue gaze evenly. "We will take our leave now, if it does not trouble you."

He inclined his head respectfully. "As you wish."

Then, Kisame's stomach rumbled.

Deidara face-palmed.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

Itachi eyed his partner in irritation.

Sakura sighed.

"_After_ we eat."

.

.

.

Sasuke, Itachi, and Sakura sat at the Slytherin table as usual, while Kisame and Deidara sat with Gryffindor. They'd grown accustomed to the seating arrangement so they figured, why not? As they ate — mostly in silence — Sakura caught traces of Itachi and Sasuke's quiet conversation. Her interest piqued, she listened as they spoke, continuing to eat as if she heard nothing.

"_Do you plan to return to Konoha?"_

Sasuke's eyes flickered to his older brother.

"_Do __**you**__?"_

Itachi's lips twitched in the very beginnings of a wry smile. He glanced at Sakura, obviously aware that she was listening. She flashed him an unreadable look as she swallowed.

"_Perhaps."_

Sasuke switched his gaze briefly to Sakura, studying the kunoichi.

Honestly, what the hell did his brother _see_ in her?

She was violent and unpredictable and fucking _psycho_.

Not to mention _tiny_. Kami, she was short.

And there was a whole lotta mean packed into each itty bitty piece of her; that was for damn sure.

Sakura averted her eyes from Itachi's. She refused to think about it now. There was plenty of time to figure out where they were all going to go later. Just…not now. She wouldn't.

She couldn't.

.

.

.

"Do you _have_ to go?" Hermione asked, gazing sadly at the five shinobi.

Sakura glanced back at her.

And smiled.

"Yeah," she said. "We have to go." She turned her eyes to Harry and Ron, giving them each a firm handshake (because that was apparently what people did in this world instead of bowing; it was still weird to her, but what the heck?) "It's been a pleasure knowing you." She flashed another smile at Hermione. "_All_ of you."

Hermione smiled back, almost timidly. A shocking change for the girl.

Sakura bowed to them, glaring at her companions until they did so as well. Sasuke, of course, decided that he didn't want to, so she smacked him upside the head.

He bowed.

They turned and set off, intending to activate the portkey _out_side, seeing as there was no telling what would happen to the school. They had already damaged the poor castle enough as it was. Ron and Harry shouted good-byes, waving and grinning. Hermione remained silent.

Until she couldn't take it anymore. She rushed forward and threw her entire arm up in a wave.

"Come back soon!" she called.

Sakura didn't look back, but she smiled to herself. Despite their rather rocky start, she and Hermione had gotten along well. She would miss the girl — though she'd never admit it aloud — and she knew Hermione would miss her, too.

Itachi read all of this on her face. His lips curved into his trademark smirk-smile.

Deidara held the portkey out as they all formed a small circle. He fingered the edge of the newspaper, preparing to rip it off.

"Touch it on the count of three," he said, looking at each of them.

Sakura and Sasuke gave a firm nod, while Itachi and Kisame just watched the portkey. Deidara swallowed to wet his rapidly-drying throat.

"Alright. One…"

His finger slipped under the end of the newspaper.

"Two…"

Kisame flexed his fingers.

"Three!"

Quick as lightning, Deidara tore the newspaper from the portkey in one move. Four hands shot out and gripped the portkey, overlapping each other for lack of room. They all felt a familiar tug at their navels, and then they were sucked in.

Blurs of color, shapes, and light twisted and warped in all directions, filling their vision as far as they could see. Being the least experienced with portkeys, Sasuke grimaced. Itachi, however, was perfectly fine; this was his fourth trip through a portkey, after all.

Without even having to glance at one another, they all let go.

The five shinobi crashed into the ground rather ungracefully. The portkey — a goblet, of all things — nailed Kisame in the back of the head. He swore loudly, glaring at the thing and threw it at the ground. It disappeared right before their eyes, presumably returning to Dumbledore.

The first thing Sakura noticed after landing was that it was raining. The second was that she had fallen rather awkwardly on Itachi. The third was that he was smirking up at her.

And the fourth was that a group of five Konoha-nin were staring at them with idiotic expressions.

Wonderful.

.

.

.

Naruto was horrified. He was absolutely, positively petrified.

Because, um, hello: THE AIR JUST, LIKE, THREW UP AND FIVE PEOPLE POPPED OUT. SERIOUSLY, MAN — WHAT THE FUCK?

So, of course, he acted upon his instincts.

He screamed.

"_AHHHH_! GHOSTS! GET THEM AWAY! OH GOD, GET THEM _AWAY_!"

Sasuke's eyebrow twitched.

"Dobe, stop screaming!" he snapped, climbing to his feet.

The blond's shrieking immediately halted, but that was when the shouting began. "TEME? !"

The four Akatsuki members began to stand, eyes locked on the Konoha-nin. Sakura — though it somewhat pissed her off — accepted Itachi's outstretched hand to help her get up more quickly.

Kakashi noticed this action, eyes slightly narrowed. He had seen Itachi and Kisame before, of course, but he'd never encountered Sakura or Deidara. They were new to him. Judging by the expressions on his companions' faces, they didn't recognize them either. Kakashi switched his gaze to Sasuke, watching the boy for a long time.

He had gotten taller — a lot taller. His hair was the same, his eyes were the same; heck, _everything_ about him was the same, except for his wardrobe.

Even the expression he had worn around Naruto while in Konoha was the same, he noted, his heart squeezing.

"_You_," Sakura hissed, glowering black flames at Naruto. "If you don't stop screeching like a banshee, I'll strangle you!"

Naruto was instantly silent. The Konoha shinobi perceived this as a threat, tensing and sliding into offensive stances. Then, the most dumbfounding thing they'd ever seen occurred.

Sasuke turned and started _arguing_ with the girl.

"Can you not go _one hour_ without threatening someone?" he demanded.

"Says the stupid bastard with a pole up his ass that glares at everything in sight," she retorted.

"What — does that make you some kind of _saint_, now?"

"Compared to you."

"What the _hell_ is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, and here I thought all Uchiha's were smart; guess that's just your brother."

"Fuck you."

"Sasuke," Kakashi spoke up, eyeing the Akatsuki warily. "What are you doing with them?"

"Tell me you're not an Akatsuki!" Naruto pleaded, eyes wide.

Sasuke grunted. "No," he said flatly. "I just killed their leader."

That took the Konoha shinobi aback.

"Then why are you with them?" Shikamaru demanded.

"They were my ticket home," he stated simply.

Naruto paused at his words, a flame of hope flickering in his bright blue gaze. "Then," he murmured, voice nearly a whisper. "…are you coming back?"

Sasuke was silent for a long moment. He glanced at his brother. Itachi inclined his head just slightly. Fists clenching, the youngest Uchiha turned his dark gaze back upon his former teammate. He said nothing.

Slowly, painfully slowly, a wide grin stretched across Naruto's face. He knew; he just knew. Giving a victorious shout, he leapt forward and nearly tackled Sasuke in a hug, which he venomously struggled to get out of.

Kakashi felt exhausting relief flood his body. It was only then that he realized exactly how tired he was and how much he'd been worrying over Sasuke. Despite his noticeably better mood, he still watched Itachi like a hawk.

"Why is your brother here?"

Naruto pulled back somewhat from the hug, limbs still entangled with Sasuke's — still pissing the boy off. His jaw was tense when he replied.

"He didn't do it."

He gave no further explanation. The Konoha shinobi — correction: the four _intelligent_ Konoha shinobi — shared a meaningful look. In the end, Shikamaru gave the verdict: Sasuke spent twelve years of his life hating Itachi; if he said Itachi was fine, then they'd accept it.

For now. Tsunade would have the final say, of course.

Going by Sasuke's expression, though, it was clear the younger Uchiha would refuse to return to Konoha if his brother wasn't allowed.

And knowing Tsunade, she'd pull invisible strings in every direction to get them both reinstated.

So they were probably safe.

Deidara turned to Sakura, surprising her. "Are you going back to the Akatsuki?" he asked.

Sakura stared at him as if he'd sprouted rabbit ears. "Wha— we just got rid of our evil dictator boss, and you're talking about going _back_?" she said in disbelief. "Are you _crazy_?"

He held up his hands in the typical "don't attack me" position. "No," he disagreed with a frown. "I'm just asking where _you're_ going. There's no way in hell I'm going back, yeah."

Sakura snorted, flicking strands of rain-darkened pink hair out of her eyes. "I'd rather disembowel myself than go back," she muttered. "In case you forgot, I was _forced_ in."

"In case _you_ forgot, so was I, yeah."

She grunted. "Touché."

Deidara looked off into the trees that had crept over the Rain-Fire boarder, his eyes distant. "I dunno where I'll go, yeah," he murmured. "Just…somewhere. Anywhere." He glanced down at Sakura with his usual sly grin. "Except a village, yeah. Too much trouble."

Sakura nodded absently, staring off into space for a moment before blinking and gazing up at Kisame. "And you?"

He shrugged indifferently. "I'll probably go buy a bar or something near the ocean," he said. "Not really sure. I'm too old for this mission shit."

That earned a laugh from both Sakura and Deidara.

"You really should retire, old man," the kunoichi teased. "You might throw your back out picking up a kunai."

"I think I see some wrinkles, Ojii-san," Deidara added, shit-eating grin in place.

Kisame shot them withering looks. "Yeah? You shouldn't even be out of your cribs, you little squirts."

The blue-skinned man was only thirty-two years old, but that was a feat for a shinobi. If you didn't die within your first twenty-five years of age, then that meant you were a damn good ninja and you'd most likely live a long life.

Suddenly, a spot in the air seemed to come alive and spat out seven items. The portkey that appeared then went back from whence it came. Deidara and Sakura exchanged a surprised look.

On the ground lay a few things the four Akatsuki members recognized very well:

A small, pretty blue-silver-furred cat in a cage.

A solid black cat in another cage.

A gray owl with a dark ring around one eye in yet another cage.

And four wand boxes.

Sakura was the first to start laughing. Deidara quickly followed, and then Kisame. Itachi wore an amused expression.

"What the hell?" Yamato mumbled.

They weren't paying any attention. Sakura picked up her cat's cage and her wand. The feline blinked at her, then meowed, rubbing her cheek against the wall of the cage. Sakura smiled.

Deidara grinned as he picked up his owl, his wands, and Kisame's. The blue-skinned man took his wand with an incredulous shake of the head. The blond examined his owl for a moment before opening the cage. Taki poked his head out, stared blankly at Deidara for a moment, then took off, gray wings flapping smoothly as he disappeared over the trees.

Sakura grabbed Kurohyou and Itachi's wand, offering them to him. He accepted his wand but shook his head at the cat.

"Keep him."

Sakura gazed at him for a moment, then nodded. She brought the black cat's cage up to eye level and smiled. It looked back at her flatly, then proceeded to meow in irritation, glaring up at the rain.

Well, like owner, like pet.

Kisame sighed, shifting his weight. He sent Sakura and Deidara a half-grin.

"Well," he murmured, "I think I'm gonna go."

Sakura appeared a little sad, but she nodded. Deidara inclined his head respectfully.

"If you ever need me…" He gave a rough laugh. "Well, I know you'll find me."

"I'll look for the bar by the ocean with a fish-man acting as bartender," Deidara promised cheekily. Kisame swatted at him.

"See ya, kid," he said, ruffling Sakura's hair. She shrunk back and scowled at him. He grinned, then nodded to Itachi. "Until then."

Sakura didn't know what to feel as she watched the tall former Kiri-nin walk away — a man she'd known for a long time and had come to adore as one of her closest friends. It was…strange. Knowing that she'd never see him again unless she deliberately went looking for him. Knowing that she'd never train beside him, or eat with him, or joke with him again.

It was almost heartbreaking.

Not that she'd ever admit it, of course.

She heard Deidara sigh next to her, and then she got a horrible feeling:

He was next.

Quickly, she turned to him, alarm in her eyes. He just smiled sadly at her.

"It never would have worked out between us, yeah," he murmured, much too low for anyone to hear but her. She stared at him in shock. He gazed at her with that pained expression for a moment longer before giving a closed-eyed Naruto-worthy grin. "See ya around, I guess," he said lightly. "Hopefully." He usual lopsided smile was in place. "You'll know it's me if you see a big shadow on the ground and hear explosions all around."

Sakura managed to swallow her anxiety. "And hear insane, cackling laughter."

That earned a laugh. "Yep; you know me well."

He stood there for a moment, then slapped her on the back. _That_ earned a glare.

He saluted her with two fingers, then leapt up into the air. In the blink of an eye, he had formed a giant clay bird and landed on it smoothly. Sakura watched him with an unreadable expression. He glanced back at her quietly.

He couldn't help it. He called out:

"You're still short, yeah!"

Sakura twitched in irritation and scowled up at him. "Asshole!" she yelled, snatching a rock off the ground and chucking it after him.

He was a good fifty feet away, but the rock still nailed him in the back of the head. He was knocked off his feet and landed face-first on his bird. Sakura fumed as she glared after him. Deidara grinned to himself, wincing as he rubbed his poor, injured head.

Sure, it had hurt like hell, but it'd been worth it to see her blow up one last time.

Just like his art.

Kami, it was beautiful.

Deidara smiled as he picked himself back up.

He'd keep that image of her in his mind as long as he lived.

.

Sensing that she was being watched, Sakura shot a glare over at Itachi.

"What? !" she demanded. He was smirking at her, damn him.

He said nothing. It was quiet for a long while.

The Konoha shinobi watched on in silence. Kakashi was fascinated with the way the Akatsuki members had interacted like a family. Perhaps they _did_ have hearts after all. (Two of them had said they were forced to join, so that may have been a contributing factor.)

Sakura looked away. "You going back to Konoha?"

Itachi studied her for a moment. "If they'll have me," he agreed.

She frowned. "You're a martyr," she retorted. "Of course they'll take you back."

"Perhaps." If Sakura had been looking at him, she would've recognized the look in his eyes. "Konoha will most likely accept you as well."

Her head snapped up, and she stared at him incredulously. "Are you kidding?" she muttered bluntly. "Sure, my father's clan is native to Konoha, but I've never even been there." Her eyes flashed. "Besides, my father was psychotic. I don't think I want to go to the village where he was born. I don't think they'd even let me in because of him."

His gaze was even. "Have you ever killed a Konoha shinobi?"

Sakura paused, thinking deeply for a long moment. "Mm…no. I don't think so."

"Then I see no reason why they should ban you."

Sakura looked at him as if he was stupid. To his surprise — though he didn't show it — she snatched the hitai-ate off his forehead and removed her own.

"Look," she said, pointing at the slashed-out Konoha mark on his headband. "Konoha. You were born there. Raised there. Trained there. Became a shinobi there." She met his eyes sharply. "I wasn't." She held up her own headband and pointed at the marred symbol. "Yuki. I was born _there_. Raised _there_. Trained _there_." She nearly shook the headband to get her point across. "I was made a shinobi _there_." Her eyes were jade fire. "I may have family in Konoha — I don't even know. But I've _never been there_. I've never set eyes on the village." Her fist clenched. "Do you honestly believe I have any right whatsoever to stain it with my presence? To fuck it up like I do everything else?" She shoved his headband back into his hands with more force than necessary. "_No_."

Sakura turned her back on him, glaring at nothing in particular. She was angry at herself. She lifted her hitai-ate to retie it on her forehead.

Then, suddenly, it was stolen out of her hands and something else replaced it.

A black Konoha headband with a marked-out symbol.

Itachi's headband.

"Yes," he murmured. "You have every right. You have a Konoha headband."

Sakura stared up at him in shock, unable to speak.

Kakashi's patrol and Sasuke watched on in disbelief.

Sakura couldn't tear her eyes away from Itachi's as he gazed at her unblinkingly. Her lips trembled. Then twisted up into a smile.

And she laughed.

Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes, to her utter mortification, but only Itachi noticed. (That was bad enough, as it was.) She gripped his hitai-ate tightly, gratefully. He took her hands gently, softly, in one hand and brushed the hair from her face with the other. He reached back behind her head, inadvertently placing her face close to his, and tied his headband on her forehead. Sakura sighed quietly, closing her eyes as he rested his chin on her head.

They stood there for a long while. Sasuke turned his head and Shikamaru grimaced, glancing at Kakashi. It was quite obviously an awkward situation for them all — except for the two before them, who were completely oblivious to their discomfort.

After a moment, Itachi pulled back and looked down at her. Sakura's eyes were sharp, determined.

"I'm still not going to Konoha," she warned him.

He smirked.

She went to Konoha.


	19. Can Anyone Say Roadtrip?

Well, here you all go. Tomorrow is my last day of freedom before school starts back up, unfortunately. TT^TT I am currently drinking sparkling red grape juice straight from the bottle. O3O

Yes, anyways.

Longer chapter! Happy, yes?

The next chapter will be the last one, and it will be longer as well.

Oh! I upload my first video on YouTube and it sucks, but yeah... (NOOB). Team Seven's Theme Songs. I know, right — very original.

Yeah.

So.

Another thing: you all will kill me for what I've done in this chapter. :D

Please read and review!

* * *

Sakura was _not_ happy.

Like, at all.

She still had no clue as to how Itachi had convinced her to return to Konoha with him, his brother, and the patrol. She didn't know how it happened. It just did.

And it all started with a smirk.

That damnable smirk of his that highlighted his way-too-good-looking-to-be-legal features. The one that never failed to make her heart skip a beat or two. Or five.

Stupid Uchiha.

Then, her eyes widened ever so slightly as something struck her. Now that she thought about it, _everything_ had started with that smirk of his.

Joining the Akatsuki. Noticing him. Going on that mission two years previous — that one during which she had fallen in love with him.

And that was when Sakura realized.

This game they had been playing during their stay at Hogwarts — it had been going on since the moment she joined the Akatsuki. She hadn't given in and admitted defeat in the Room of Requirement when he kissed her; she had already surrendered two years ago when she allowed herself to love him. She just hadn't admitted it to herself.

And Itachi had known all along.

She chanced a glance at him. He was watching her from the corner of his eye.

Smirking.

Damn him.

Sakura glared and turned her head away indignantly. Itachi was obviously amused. Sasuke's eyes were closed and narrowed in irritation, arms folded across his chest. The Konoha patrol watched the three uncertainly, still a bit weirded out by the whole situation. They were sitting in a tea shop near the Fire Country boarder, for Kami's sake.

A _tea shop_.

With Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi, and some pink-haired former Akatsuki member none of them recognized.

What has this world come to?

Kakashi and Yamato exchanged a somewhat bewildered look. They'd been sent to bring Sasuke back, and now they had two ex-Akatsuki in tow, as well.

They had better get paid good for this, damn it.

The nine shinobi sat in silence for a very long time, occasionally sipping tea or taking a bite of dango. It was — oh, what's the word?

Ah, yes:

_Awkward._

And it was pissing Sasuke off.

The quiet continued only a few moments longer before he got fed up. He opened his eyes and scowled at Sakura.

"You," he said flatly. "I don't like you. Leave."

Sakura glowered right back. "In case you forgot, buddy, I _tried_ to." She jabbed a thumb in Itachi's direction. "Talk to my fucking parole officer."

Sasuke glared at his brother. Itachi raised an eyebrow smoothly. The younger Uchiha eyed Sakura icily.

"Tch. You're annoying."

Sakura vaguely recalled Itachi making a similar comment when they were fighting in the Great Hall.

"Yeah? Well, you're ugly, and that's not gonna change either, is it?"

Sasuke looked like he was going to strangle her. Her remark earned loud laughter from Naruto.

"You just got _told_, teme!" he howled hysterically. He ignored Sasuke's "I'm-gonna-beat-your-stupid-head-in" look and grinned at Sakura. "I'm Naruto!" he declared. "Uzumaki Naruto!"

Sakura looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Haruno Sakura."

He appeared surprised, turning and glancing at Kakashi for confirmation. "Kakashi-sensei, didn't some old lady on the clan leaders council with the name 'Haruno' die, like, a week ago?"

The Copy-nin gave a curt nod, watching Sakura's expression. Her fist clenched.

"What was her first name?" she asked stiffly.

Kakashi studied her closely. "Mizuna."

Sakura closed her eyes, jaw tense. She said nothing.

Haruno Mizuna was the mother of her insane father, the woman who disowned him after what he did to Sakura and her mother. (Read: after he killed her mother and tried to kill her because he was pissed that she was born a girl when he demanded a son, forcing Sakura to kill him herself and unfortunately underscoring her name to the Akatsuki. As aforementioned, her father was psycho.)

The silence resumed.

.

.

.

Sakura wasn't believing this.

Sure, Fire Country was big, but it couldn't be _this_ big, could it?

It was already dark, and they _still_ weren't at Konoha yet. Instead, they were in the forest; the only villages even _remotely_ close were all civilians villages.

And they couldn't exactly stay in a village.

Because, um, hello: _Infamous bad-guy ninja in tow._

Not a good idea.

So they were forced to camp out in the middle of freaking nowhere.

Joy.

.

Of course, the six Konoha-nin had sleeping bags. Sasuke, Itachi, and Sakura didn't.

Obviously.

So they were forced to make do. (Every single one of the Konoha-nin had offered their sleeping bags to Sakura, but she turned them all down; just because she was a girl didn't mean that she couldn't sleep on the ground, damn it!)

She removed her Akatsuki cloak, turned it inside-out, and used it as a blanket. Itachi and Sasuke did the same, but the latter didn't have to turn his inside-out seeing as it was solid black. Sai had started a fire, and they were all settled down around it, most already lying down. They ate nothing, deciding as a group to find food in the morning. Kakashi and Yamato made it their duty to keep the fire going as they took turns staying up to watch for enemy attacks.

Sakura remained awake for a long time, gazing at the fire, her back to Itachi — who lay right behind her — before finally falling asleep.

.

It felt like only a moment later that she jerked awake. (In all reality, a couple hours had passed, making it sometime around midnight.)

At first, Sakura wasn't sure what had woke her. Then, she noticed:

She had rolled over in her sleep.

So, she was facing Itachi.

And his eyes were open.

Staring at her.

Sakura met his searing gaze as if attracted by a magnet. She was instantly overcome.

Her stomach fluttered with imaginary butterflies and her breathing hitched, eyes unable to leave his. Darkness surrounded them, save for the warm firelight.

She received no warning. She didn't even know which one of them moved first.

All she knew was that all of a sudden, their mouths met in a heated kiss.

He hovered over her, pushing her slightly into the ground but keeping most of his weight off of her. His warm hands rested on her waist between the edges of her shirt and shorts, calloused thumbs rubbing sensuous circles on her sides and abdomen.

Her hands slid slowly up across his chest, taking in the form of his hard lean muscles before gliding over his shoulders and settling in his somewhat messy hair. Her breathing was harsh and rapid when he finally broke the kiss. His lips ghosted over her jaw, sending wonderful tingles down her spine. She tipped her head back, eyes closed in bliss (was this the infamous "Cloud Nine" she'd heard so much about?) as he kissed a hot trail down her throat.

Kami, this man was amazing. The things his mouth could do…

She shuddered to think what he could do _elsewhere_.

Her thoughts had taken a decidedly dirty turn when his mouth latched onto her neck, effectively blowing her mind. A pleasured gasp escaped her as he sucked on her pulse. Her fingers twisted in his hair, and her left leg lifted of its own accord to hook over his waist. He smirked against the sensitive skin of her throat, hot breath fanning out in a way that took her own away. His hips pressed into hers, pinning her against the ground almost possessively.

Sakura didn't like to lose. She _despised_ being the weaker one.

But right now…

Well, fuck her pride. (No pun intended; Sakura almost felt ashamed for that lame thought — almost.) This felt way too damn good.

His hands slid across her stomach, gently pushing her shirt up to mid-abdomen. Her breathing quickened as his fingers tickled the sensitive skin, making her back arch as a reflex. She gave a low, breathy moan, cheek rubbing against his.

He hummed approvingly against her throat, vibrating her pulse and sending shivers throughout her body. His fingers teased the waistband of her shorts, then suddenly slipped under. Another gasp tore from her lips, and her eyes flew open.

Her gaze immediately locked onto his, his eyes darkened and smoldering. Fire induced shadows danced across his face, accenting his strikingly good looks.

But he wasn't hovering over her; he was lying at her side as he had been before that first kiss. And she was lying on her side as well. She felt slightly dizzy, as if waking suddenly from a dream.

He was smirking.

And his eyes were red.

_Sharingan_ red.

But not quite as red as her face.

"Son of a _bitch_," she whispered in mortification, quickly rolling over and blatantly displaying her back to him.

She heard a quiet, smooth chuckle, and then a pair of hands snaked around her waist. Gasping for nearly the thousandth time, she was yanked back against his chest. His arms wrapped around her like a cage, and he planted a firm kiss in the hollow below her ear. He gave another low chuckle as she elbowed him, obviously still pissed and utterly embarrassed, and remained still to allow her to calm down. After a moment, Sakura gave up the struggle and relaxed against him.

He may have been a sly, egotistical bastard, but he was warm. (And pretty, but that was beside the point.)

She pressed her back more firmly against his chest and closed her eyes, determined to fall asleep and not remain awake all night, because SHE WAS NOT DISTRACTED BY HIM.

Stupid fucking Uchiha and his stupid fucking genjutsu with his stupid fucking Sharingan.

It took her over an hour to fall asleep.

Itachi knew the exact moment she passed into the dream world; her breathing slowed, and she went limp against him. He rested his head just above hers and buried his nose in her hair, closing his eyes.

He knew, however, that sleep was a long way off.

.

.

.

When Sakura woke the next morning, Itachi was already awake. She gave him a lazy, sleep-induced smile over her shoulder before drawing in a deep breath and pushing herself up. Stifling a yawn, she rubbed at her eye with the back of her fist. He sat up barely an inch behind her, using his hands to prop himself up. His lips ghosted along the back of her neck, making her shiver. When she whirled around to shove at him — and maybe smack that smirk she _knew_ was there off his face — he was already on his feet.

Smirking down at her, of course.

Sakura shot him a withering look but couldn't help a tiny smile.

Damn that man.

.

.

.

Just as Kakashi had predicted when he first announced that they were setting up camp the night before, they arrived at Konoha sometime around noon. As soon as the two gatekeepers noticed them — both men, one with brown hair, the other with wild dark blue hair and bandages over his nose — they leapt up. Kakashi, however, assured them that there was no problem. The two men, who were apparently called Izumo and Kotetsu, knew all too well who Itachi was, but they didn't recognize Sakura. She and Itachi had dumped their Akatsuki cloaks and buried them that morning, so it was understandable.

Thankfully, they let them pass, and Kakashi took the entire group straight to the Hokage Tower. On the way, Sakura looked in every direction, taking it all in.

She had to admit: Konoha was beautiful. The buildings were made of a white stone she'd never seen in her home village of Yukigakure, and plants bloomed gorgeously at each door and window. Water features were displayed all around. Birds chirped, cats and dogs called out lively, and people were _everywhere_. Kids ran past in all directions, laughing and playing and actually being _kids_.

Sakura turned on her heel as a young red-haired girl whisked by, shrieking with joy. In that little girl, she saw herself as a child before everything went wrong.

Before her father did what he did.

She reached out faintly, not really intending to grab the girl — more to grasp the precious memories she had and would never live through again. It hurt. She had suffered through her childhood in Yukigakure despite the kindness of her mother and four friends when she could have been here — when she could have chosen to just be a child. When she could've taken the path that allowed her to cry, to laugh, to smile, to scream — to do and be anything she wanted.

It wasn't fair.

After what she'd gone through, how dare the world show her how different it all could've been.

"What?" the Hyuga demanded impatiently.

When Sakura turned back, her eyes and face were cold. Harsh. Hateful. It surprised them all — except for Itachi. He already knew what she was thinking.

"Your children here play in public," she spat out bitterly, gait angry and powerful as she walked alongside them. "They laugh and smile. Many of them are even civilians." Her eyes narrowed. "That is forbidden in my home."

They exchanged shocked looks. "Kids in your village are forced into being shinobi?" Naruto asked incredulously.

"Among other things," she agreed flatly, fists clenching. "A friend of mine and myself spent seven days in a cell for playing in the street when I was five. I passed another two weeks there after crying over my mother and best friends' funerals — who all three died at the hands of my deranged father, the man I was forced to kill in order to preserve my own life." They were stuck in a shocked silence when Sakura glared at them. "I have heard Konoha shinobi complain about how showing emotions is a sign of weakness," she growled. "It makes me _sick_. Konoha shinobi are not locked up and delivered lashings for doing so. Konoha shinobi are not publically stripped of their honor or condemned to a lifetime of solitude. Konoha shinobi are not _banished from their village_." She grunted. "None of you have _any right_ to complain about such things when others suffer for the lack of your luxuries."

No one spoke a word.

.

Tsunade was…_surprised_, to say the least, when she saw who all was with the patrol she sent out.

"SHIZUNE, CALL THE ANBU!" she screeched upon their arrival, jumping up from her desk and knocking many things over. "WE HAVE A _SITUATION IN HERE_!"

Yamato quickly opened the door and called for her to delay that thought, apologizing. Kakashi immediately went to work on calming her down.

"They're with us, Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade paused, eyeing the Copy-nin warily. She listened reluctantly for barely a second before she leapt up again, jabbing a finger wildly in Sakura's face.

"You!" she gasped. "I know you! I taught you in Yukigakure when I was an ANBU!"

While Sakura appreciated that the Hokage recognized her, she was a bit irritated.

"Does _everyone_ in this damn village start _screaming_ when they greet people? !" she hissed to Itachi. He didn't reply, but he seemed amused.

"Eh, ignore Baa-chan," Naruto said, waving the older woman off, much to her annoyance. "She's drunk and old and crazy and stuff."

Said drunk, old, crazy, and stuff woman scowled flames at the jinchuriki.

"Hokage-sama," Kakashi spoke up, fearing this would never be over at the current rate. "Sasuke is with us."

She blinked and looked at the youngest Uchiha, seeming to notice him for the first time. She smiled. "Well, well," she murmured, crossing her arms. "I hope you don't think this will get you out of a punishment. I'm thinking six months of confinement to the village — what do_ you_ think, Kakashi?"

He obviously agreed. Sasuke was clearly pissed.

"I'm curious," she said, looking him over. "What made you come back this time? Nothing we tried worked before, so why now?"

Kakashi gestured toward Itachi.

"He won't return unless his brother is accepted, as well."

Tsunade stared at them all blankly. They could see the thought in her mind: "What the fuck?" She turned and looked at Sakura, opening her mouth to say something. But then, she stopped and stared. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"…what the hell are you wearing?"

Sakura's eye twitched. She glanced down at herself in irritation. She wore a long-sleeved off-the-shoulders top with three slits going down the side of each sleeve — which extended to her thumbs and covered up the edge of her fingerless gloves. Skin-tight shorts and knee-length boot/sandals completed the look. All in standard Akatsuki black, of course.

She glared up at the Hokage, arms crossed over her chest much like said woman. "I'd like to think what I'm wearing is _not_, in fact, a disgrace to my gender like many women my age in clothes intended to get men twice their size — and _age_ — to fuck them up a wall."

Naruto slapped a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing, and Yamato's expression clearly said, "Oh, dear lord."

Tsunade gazed at her for a moment in surprise before laughing. "Humorous as that was," she said with a smile, "I meant your headband."

Sakura looked at the woman blankly. Before she could make an idiot of herself, she reached up and felt it.

Oh.

Sakura jabbed a thumb in Itachi's direction. "He said you have to let me in if I'm wearing a Konoha hitai-ate," she stated bluntly. "So he stole mine and tied his on my head."

Tsunade turned her head and looked at Itachi for a long moment. Then, she sighed and shook her head as if to say, "I had such hopes for you. Too bad you're a moron."

"And why," she asked, glancing at Sakura, "are you here?"

She pointed at Itachi again. "He made me."

The Hokage wore a dumbfounded expression. "…are you all _children_?" she mumbled to herself. "Damn. Now I know why I always have to do _everything_ around here." She fixed the three new-comers with a stern look. "So let me get this straight. You" — she pointed at Sasuke — "won't stay unless you" — she pointed at Itachi — "can stay. And _you_ won't stay unless _you_" — she pointed at Sakura — "can stay. Is that right?"

"As far as I can see," Sakura agreed, looking as if she didn't want to be there.

Tsunade ran a hand down her tired face. "Great Kami," she mumbled, gazing upward in a display of exaggerated despair. "What am I getting myself into?" She sighed again, then looked at them all dryly. "Alright, fine. They can stay — under one condition."


	20. We'll See About That

It's finally here! The ending! :) It's so sad to see it end... T^T But never fear!

There shall be a series of one-shots depicting different things that happen, acting as a sequal to this story! I haven't quite decided if I'm going to stick them all together in one story, so we'll see about that. Some of the one-shots will take place during this story, and some will be like epilogues.

And if you spot in any - ahem - _loose ends_ in the story, don't mention it in your reviews. Let everyone figure it out for themselves. Like I said, a series of one-shots will come into play... :)

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!

Please read and review! :D

* * *

Tsunade, being the deranged woman she clearly was, apparently wanted/needed all of Sasuke's old comrades to be present when she delivered the one condition for allowing him, Itachi, and Sakura to remain in the village. So, seeing as she could basically tell everybody what to do, she yelled at Shizune to bring them all in. Sasuke was obviously pissed, but he decided not to say anything; it just wasn't worth it. Itachi was non-reacting (as usual), and Sakura scowled at the Hokage, muttering under her breath about all the damn screaming Konoha-nin.

The chunin and jonin arrived fairly quickly, at least, so they didn't have to wait long. The one called Sai, though, decided to voice the question that had been bothering him for hours just as Tsunade was going to speak.

Of course.

He looked straight at Sakura, expression contorted in deep thought. She raised an eyebrow blankly at him. Tsunade glared at him for interrupting her when he spoke.

"Is pink your natural hair color?"

Sakura's eye twitched. Itachi smirked. Sasuke seemed vaguely interested, despite how stupid the question was. Naruto suddenly had a very bad feeling; all of the shinobi shifted uncomfortably.

And that was when the poor chunin working under Tsunade were scared out of their skin by one former ANBU Root ninja smashing through five walls and landing in an unmoving heap amongst the remains of a broken water fountain.

Naruto gave a rather feminine shriek of terror and leapt behind Kakashi. Sasuke eyed Sakura warily, while his old comrades shifted backwards many steps. Tsunade was obviously proud — if her shit-eating grin was any clue — and Jiraiya was absolutely horrified.

And Itachi?

Well, he just smirked.

Sakura glowered after the man she'd just decked, fist shaking with fury.

"Well!" Tsunade said loudly, an unholy grin intact. "Wasn't _that_ entertaining?"

She switched her glare to the blond-haired woman. "Just get on with it," she growled, looking incredibly annoyed. "Say your stupid condition and go along your merry fucking way so I can go smash my head against a wall and most likely kill myself to escape having to live amongst these idiots for the rest of my life."

Nearly every person in the room gaped at her. Tsunade stared in shock, mouth opening and closing repeatedly. No one — _no one_ — had ever spoken to her like that! Itachi, wickedly amused, grunted.

"You have been spending too much of your free time in Hidan's presence," he remarked coolly.

Sakura whipped around to him, bristling. "Don't you mention that bastard's name around me!" she hissed. "He tried to fucking _sacrifice_ me to his Genocide Deity and rape me with that damned scythe of his!"

"If you recall," the Uchiha corrected, "he does not discriminate when choosing who he shall next sacrifice to his deity; ergo, the term 'Genocide Deity' is an incorrect label."

Her eye twitched.

"Uchiha, I have broken your jaw before, and I am _not_ afraid to do it again!"

His eyes narrowed. "Hn."

"You _want_ me to kick your ass. That's it, isn't it? Because you and I both know that's all that'll happen if you KEEP TRYING TO USE YOUR FUCKING SHARINGAN ON ME, YOU BASTARD."

Insert death glare, copyright of the Uchiha Clan.

Oh, yeah. Way too much time around Hidan.

o o o O O O o o o

Sakura growled under her breath, arms crossed over her chest and glaring at a wall.

This was stupid. _Really_ stupid.

Like, stupider than that blond guy that yelled all the time, stupid.

Tsunade had been very firm about her conditions (that lying bitch had said there was only _one_ condition!), not allowing them to argue in the slightest.

One: Her, Sasuke, and Itachi were banned from stepping foot outside of the village for one year, and during that year, they were to be under strict ANBU watch.

Two: After the one year was up, they were condemned to seven months of D-Rank missions only.

And, finally, Three: they had to stick together.

As in, live under the same roof.

FUCK.

Seriously, how stupid.

It was the stupidest condition in the entire history of stupid conditions.

All of which probably came from Konoha.

Because Konoha was stupid.

"Muttering under your breath about how 'stupid' our arrangement is will not change anything," Itachi informed her smoothly.

Sakura scowled at him. He stood in the doorway of the room they dubbed as hers, watching her in amusement. Out of all the rooms in the Uchiha Compound, Itachi had taken the one beside hers. Sasuke had been smart and picked one a couple hallways away. But not Itachi. Of course.

"Don't you have somewhere to _be_?" she hissed rudely. "Like, drowning in a river or something?"

If he had been a lesser man, he would've rolled his eyes at her childishness. "I am here to inform you that you have a visitor."

Sakura frowned. "Who the heck is it?" she demanded. "And what do they want?"

"It is the Uzumaki boy." At her blank look, he added, "The boy that screams his every thought." Recognition lit her eyes. "He came to invite Sasuke to eat ramen with him. He wishes to know if you would like to accompany them."

Sakura thought it over for a moment. "Are you going?" she asked.

"No."

She paused, weighing her options. "Fine. It's not like we have food here, anywhere."

Itachi simply gave his typical 'hn' and carried on down the hallway, off to meditate. She climbed to her feet, taking a moment to crack her back with a grunt of relief before heading to the front of the compound.

After getting hopelessly lost and having to call in irritation for Itachi to show her the way to the front door, of course. The Uchiha's smirk pissed her off to no end when he appeared within seconds, smoothly walking past her and leading the way. Being the idiot she was, she'd managed to navigate her way to the _back_ of the compound.

Lovely.

He stopped merely a hallway away and turned to her with that damned smirk of his. Her eye twitched.

"What?" she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest impatiently. "And don't you _dare_ say that you're lost—"

He cut her off by gripping her chin in his fingers. Her face abruptly blazed bright red, but her glare never wavered.

"I do believe," he remarked, tone as close to teasing as possible for an Uchiha, "that you owe me a favor."

She scowled indignantly. "Favor, my ass! As far as _I_ can see, you've yet to so much as show me the front door!"

His smirked widened. He slid open a rice paper door on her immediate right — his left — and watched her expression as she looked down that hall to the front door. Ah, yes; very satisfying. She ground her teeth together.

"As I was saying—"

"Fine!" she growled, jerking away from his grip and storming down the hallway beside her. "I'll do your damn favor!"

The front door slammed behind her, and the distinct sounds of a certain blond-haired fellow yelling reached his ears.

Yes.

_Extremely_ satisfying.

.

.

.

Sakura was content to remain silent, attention completely lost as she followed Sasuke and that Uzumaki kid to some ramen place called Ich-riku or whatever. The place had a bar and, surprisingly, what looked like a brand new add-on with tables and booths. The blond took them into the newer, nicer part of the restaurant, waving excitedly to a large group of shinobi that Sakura vaguely recognized as the "Konoha 12" or whatever the heck they were called. A girl with chin-length honey-blond hair wearing a sleeveless pale pink top and a shockingly short dark violet skirt leapt up, squealing.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called enthusiastically, flinging herself at the poor man. Body pressed against his, she hooked her arms around his neck. "I've missed you _so much_!"

The Uchiha glared down at her, snatching his person away from her. He didn't react when she plummeted to the ground, huffing and whining. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the girl, expression clam and interest not really there. Satoko pouted, then glared venomously when she caught sight of Sakura.

"Who the hell are _you_?" she demanded, scrambling to her feet when she discovered the girl and Sasuke standing within ten feet of each other. _Ten feet!_ Like, _not happening_.

Sakura looked at her blankly. "I would remind you of common courtesy, but I doubt a savage like you is capable of comprehending the word."

She gaped at the former Akatsuki member, strikingly resembling a fish. "_Savage_? !" she echoed furiously.

"Yes," Sakura replied smoothly in a manner reminiscent of Itachi. "You throw yourself at others, you scream constantly, and you wear little clothing. Clearly, you are a savage."

Satoko gasped loudly, mouth opening and closing repeatedly as she stared at Sakura with a bright red face. "Tha— I— yo— it— bu—"

"Your lack of intelligent speech only serves to prove that fact. Do yourself a favor and keep your mouth closed — if it is even a possible feat for you."

Her teeth gritted as she glared at Sakura, bringing a hand back to slap her. "You BITCH!"

Sakura smoothly swatted her hand away as it neared her face, the tiny action knocking the blond off her feet. She went skidding across the floor, showing off a neon purple thong as her skirt rode up her hips. Laughs and snorts sounded from the group. When she gathered her wits about her, Satoko stood up in a huff and stamped off to go do Kami-knows-what. Naruto grinned at Sakura and clapped her on the back, earning a glare.

"Eh, don't mind Satoko," he said, waving his hand faintly in the direction she'd stalked off in and throwing an arm around the pinkette's shoulders. "She's, like, crazy and shit. She throws herself at everybody."

Sakura glowered dangerously at the blond.

"Remove your hands from my person before I am forced to do so myself through means other than what you have in mind."

He paled and dropped his arm, immediately scooting a few feet away.

And that was how the "Konoha 12" — minus Satoko — came to love Sakura as one of their own.

.

.

.

Sakura lied awake on her side that night, blankets twisted tightly around her body, hand clenching the pillow under her head. She stared at the window on the far side of her room from the door, lips pressed in a hard line. She couldn't get to sleep. It was all too unfamiliar. Her surroundings, the absence of noise, the sense of being alone…

Not to mention the presence of five ANBU on the roof.

She shifted restlessly, turning to lie on her back, eyes refusing to close. She studied the diagonal line of shadow running across the ceiling cast by the moonlight shining in through her window. She remained there, breathing evenly, looking at the ceiling.

It was like watching paint dry.

She turned again onto her other side, staring silently at the closed door of her room. Sleep wasn't coming. An idea popped into her mind, but she immediately squashed it.

No, she told herself. She would _not_ do that. It was surrendering. And she wasn't going to surrender.

She'd be fine. Sure, lying there would be a little uncomfortable for a couple nights, but she could deal with it. She was a kunoichi, after all. Discomfort was a given at times.

Her resolution wavered.

She paused.

Sighing to herself, Sakura caved.

She sat up and slid out of bed, feet making no noise as she walked to the door. She stepped out into the hallway after sliding open the rice paper door and closing it behind herself. With a small grimace, she slid open the door to the right of her room.

Itachi was sitting up on his bed, filling out a stack of papers. A small dish of oil with a lit candle wick floating in it sat on the nightstand, providing the only light in the room. He barely spared her a glance before shifting closer toward the door on his bed to make room, already knowing why she was there without having to ask. It had happened once before on _that _mission two years previous…

Sakura walked quietly over to the far side of the bed, not looking at him, and slid under the blankets. She was quiet for a long moment, feeling herself relax in his presence, sensing the warmth of his nearness on her back, listening to the soft scratches as he wrote on the papers. After a moment, she turned slightly on her side to glance over her shoulder at him.

"What are you working on?"

Her voice was soft. He glanced at her before focusing back on the papers.

"Our reinstatement and your enrollment papers."

Curiosity getting the better of her, she sat up and peered over his shoulder, reading what he wrote. He was filling out the first page of her form. His eyes flickered to her face, the faintest traces of amusement playing across his features.

"What is your weight?" he asked, pen pointed at the corresponding question. "I estimate around forty-seven kilograms, however it would be wise to put a more accurate figure down."

Sakura glared at him, face red.

There were four things you never asked a woman:

"How old are you," "How much do you weigh," "You _are_ a woman, right," and "Are you pregnant?"

"I'm _forty-five point four_," she growled.

"Ah." He was smirking. "Rather _small_ for a woman your age."

She twitched. He was encroaching on dangerous territory.

"Height?"

Her fists clenched in the blankets. "Five feet even," she ground out.

He forced his lips not to twitch as he read the next question. "Are you currently, or have you ever been, pregnant?"

Itachi was fairly sure that she was imagining bashing his head against a wall. Or gutting him like a fish.

"Put it down," she hissed, scowling flames at him. "Do it _in the morning_." _When I'm less tired and less likely to rip your throat out._

He smirked and set the papers down on the nightstand, resting the pen neatly on top before blowing out the light. Having been lying on top of the blankets while working, he shifted himself under them. Sakura rolled over onto her left side, glaring at the window that so resembled the one in her room.

Just because she had issues with being alone in new, weird places did _not_ mean she had to give Itachi the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. So, with a deep frown, she stubbornly closed her eyes and waited for sleep to come.

She felt as though she'd swallowed a bucket of worms with the way her insides wiggled when a pair of very strong, very familiar arms snaked around her waist and pulled her back against a warm chest. She huffed, glaring with her eyes still closed.

Stupid cocky Uchiha.

Despite how uncomfortable she was — BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH HIM IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER — she fell asleep relatively quickly. He chuckled under his breath as he felt her slip away into unconscious before closing his own eyes, a calm smile lifting one corner of his lips.

.

.

.

When she woke in the morning, she noticed nothing out of place.

She'd gotten a particularly lovely amount of sleep, she was comfortable, she was warm, and everything felt right in the world. She stretched long and fully with cat-like grace until her muscles trembled deliciously, relishing in the absolute dreaminess of it all. Lazy days really were the best. A small, contented sigh rolled off her lips as she curled back up snuggly against the warmth of the bed, the looseness of her muscles deeply satisfying.

A low chuckle attracted her attention. Her eyes flickered open slightly, and she gazed up at him through her eyelashes, a smile curling on her lips. She was honestly feeling too good to glare at him like usual.

Come to think of it, why did she always glare at him?

He was pretty and gentle and warm and kinda sweet and pretty and…yeah. Sure, he was a bit of an ass, but Sakura would be a hypocrite if she said she didn't lower herself to his level on many occasions. So what if he had a huge mountain-sized ego? She _crushed_ mountains with her bare hands.

For the first time in a long time, Sakura found herself wanting to just admit defeat and do something the easy way. Her pride could go suck it because, seriously, she and it both knew there was no way to win. Fighting him and continuing to yell stubbornly that she _did not like him_ was making her really tired, and she doubted she could keep it up much longer.

And as much as she hated to admit it, Itachi had already won. Ever since that stupid mission two years ago, he had been the one in control. She was just beating a dead snake, here.

Itachi was a conceited bastard, but he was a _pretty_ conceited bastard. So it balanced. Somewhat.

"Morning," she murmured, taking in a long, lovely breath through her nose.

She lay on her right side, curled against him, small hands at his chest. Her cheek rested on the same pillow as his, messy pale pink locks lying about her rosy face in a silky halo.

Bliss. That was the only word to describe it.

He recognized the soft glow in her mint-colored gaze as one of the rare occasions where he could get away with teasing affection without getting decked — or, rather, _threatened_ to be decked. She'd only hit him one time in the face, during their first encounter when he'd basically forced her into joining the Akatsuki, and she'd broken his jaw with that hit. He had vowed to himself in that moment to never allow her to get a hold of his face again.

While she was angry, at least.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," he remarked with the faintest hints of a smirk. He waited for that usual spark of annoyance and denial that would flash through her eyes, effectively shattering the moment.

It didn't come.

Instead, she just smiled lazily, her cheeks a lovely shade of blush. "I am."

He gazed at her for a long moment, admiring the way her face shined. Admired the way she seemed to be _free_. No longer stressed. No longer worried.

No longer _glaring_.

After a moment, he allowed an equally aloof smile to tilt his lips. His arms tightened around her waist, one palm splayed protectively across the small of her back. Her eyes closed as he pressed his forehead against hers. She hummed softly in content, completely relaxed against him. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face before he settled his mouth on hers.

Sakura smiled into the kiss, slowly responding and drawing her hands up to rest at the base of his neck. His lips moved lazily against hers, drawing it out as long as possible before the need for air made itself known. Even after it ended, their lips remained brushing, breath mingling. They lied there for a long while, content with just touching and being nothing but regular people — not shinobi — for the first time since either of them could remember. It was a welcome relief from the usual stress and agitation of always being on guard. Her smiled widened as she nuzzled into his throat, fingers linking behind his neck.

Konoha made her feel…_safe_.

As if nothing could touch her there. As if she and Itachi could finally end this game and relax without having to worry about becoming too attached to one another. (Attachments for missing-nin often meant weakness, and weakness was a one-way ticket to getting killed.)

Yes, she conceded, perhaps allowing Itachi to drag her to Konoha had been worthwhile.

He slanted his mouth across hers again, tasting the sweetness on her lips and tongue just as the rice paper door of his room slid open.

Sasuke grimaced in the doorway in disgust, glaring at the pair when they lifted their heads and glanced at him sleepily — Itachi over his shoulder. "Fuck — can you two go do that _somewhere else_?"

"This is my room, foolish otouto," the eldest Uchiha pointed out mildly. "And perhaps my ears are failing me, but I heard no knock."

Sasuke glowered at him. "Tch. Whatever." He made a move to leave. "I'll tell Lee to come back later."

He arched an eyebrow smoothly. "Lee?"

He grunted. "The freak with the green jumpsuit and mustaches for eyebrows."

A small frown tugged at his lips. "Is that not Gai-san?"

"In your absence, Gai has gained a clone."

The frowned smoothed out. "Ah."

"He said he wanted to train with _her_" — he nodded vaguely in Sakura's direction, though still seemed like he wanted to throw up — "after seeing her punch Sai through five walls in the Hokage Tower."

"Mm." She didn't even think about it. "Later. Say, around ten?"

"It's past ten o'clock right now."

She frowned. "It is? Oh. Then tell him to meet me…mm, outside the compound at noon? I don't know the way to the training grounds."

Sasuke grunted again before shutting the door with more force than necessary and stalking off. Their eyes met in mutual amusement.

"Mm, Itachi, I think we've embarrassed your brother. Is it just me, or was he blushing a little bit?"

He chuckled quietly, tucking her head beneath his chin and twining the fingers of his left hand in her hair, right palm still splayed across her lower back. She breathed in the scent of him, nose tickling his neck.

It was a given fact of life that shinobi never slept in past four, no matter how late they went to bed the previous night (or earlier that morning). But, Sakura mused as she smiled against his smooth skin, they'd already slept in to ten. Why not make it eleven?

.

.

.

At precisely eleven forty-six, Kakashi and Naruto strolled into the Uchiha Compound in search of one Uchiha Sasuke. What they found, however, was Sakura sitting on — not _at_ — the kitchen table with a stick of dango poking out of one side of her mouth, clad in nothing but a short-sleeved high-collared dark blue shirt with the Uchiha fan displayed proudly on her back. The shirt was quite obviously not hers as it was multiple sizes too big, extending barely to mid-thigh. The rest of her was smooth, pale skin. And damp chin-length hair.

They both abruptly choked on their own spit upon seeing the half-naked girl before them, staring wide-eyed and making no attempts to "shield their gazes" from her. Sakura glanced over her shoulder at them, positively radiant and obviously unbothered by the situation.

"Morning, boys," she greeted, pulling the stick out of her mouth as she chewed on a sweet dumpling. "If you're looking for Sasuke, you're out of luck. He went off to go brood somewhere about an hour ago — said something about a bridge…?"

"Ah," Kakashi mumbled, clearing his throat. "Yes. The bridge. Well…" He paused, not sure what to say. He and Naruto exchanged an uncomfortable look.

That was when Itachi walked into the kitchen from the eastern hall, wearing a pair of black sweatpants that hugged his waist nicely and nothing else. His sleek black hair — also damp — was in its usual band at the nape of his neck, the ponytail resting in front of his right shoulder. He calmly looked at Kakashi and Naruto, apparently finding nothing wrong with the scene before him.

"Ah," he murmured. "Hatake. Uzumaki. I trust Sakura has informed you that my otouto is not currently here."

He received short, jerky nods in return. One eyebrow raised smoothly.

"Is there anything else you desire?"

Quick head shaking.

"Well," Sakura sighed, hopping off the table gracefully. "I suppose I ought to get dressed so I can meet Lee-san for a training match."

She padded lightly past the two uncomfortable shinobi, plucking the dango stick from her mouth before kissing Itachi's cheek and popping it into his own mouth. He glanced over his shoulder to watch her stroll down the hallway in nothing but his shirt, admiring the way it rode up her hips sensuously, reminding him of the shower they'd shared nearly an hour previous.

About the time Sasuke had left, curiously enough.

He looked back at Kakashi and Naruto. Raised an eyebrow.

They coughed awkwardly.

Then disappeared.

Itachi smirked.

.

.

.

"Ready to go, Lee-san?"

The green-clad man turned enthusiastically to see Sakura and Itachi ("Are you coming to train with us?" "Perhaps." "…you're just gonna watch while I slam him into the ground, aren't you?" "Hn.") standing behind him, watching him expectantly. They both wore similar outfits, he noted — Sakura in black shorts and a dark blue Uchiha Clan shirt like the one she'd been wearing before, except it fit her better seeing as it had been Itachi's when he was younger; Itachi in black sweatpants and a black Uchiha Clan shirt.

Of course, Lee didn't realize that Sakura bore the Uchiha fan on her back, but that was beside the point.

He beamed at them brightly. _Ah! They wear matching outfits! They are in tuned with the springtime of their youth! Yosh!_

"Greetings and salutations, Sakura-san, Uchiha-san!" He saluted as he usually did to Gai. "Are you both prepared to accompany me to the training grounds so that we may train together in the springtime of our youth and grow to become splendid ninja?"

Sakura looked at him blankly. If Itachi were a lesser man, he would've sighed.

A clone of Gai, indeed.

.

Half an hour and thirty or so mini-earthquakes and craters later found a thoroughly impressed Lee declaring his awe at a proud Sakura's "most youthful strength" while an amused Itachi leaned against one of the few non-shattered trees in the area and watched with a smirk. Most of the "Konoha 12" and their respective sensei had gathered to see what all of the commotion was about, now staring in shock at the tiny little girl packed full of a violent streak a mile wide. To say they were shocked would be an understatement.

"Sakura-san!" Gai called energetically, racing over and striking his "nice guy" pose. "That strength you've got there…do I detect a hint of Lady Tsunade?"

She smirked in a way that indicated she spent _way_ too much time around Itachi. "Why, yes you do."

He smiled winningly to himself, fingers on his chin. "Yes, well, I _was_ called a bloodhound in my days." His teeth gleamed. "Very impressive," he congratulated, placing a hand on her back and giving a thumbs up. "That's quite the skill you've got there."

Sakura cracked her neck, making a few of them flinch. "Thank you. I try." She sighed, stretching her arms above her head. Then, as if catching a whiff of herself, she frowned. "Geez. I think I need another shower."

Catching the look on his brother's face, Sasuke groaned.

Itachi just smirked.

.

.

.

Itachi and Sakura glanced up as the door to the former's room — now _their_ room — was thrown open. A very unhappy Sasuke glared furiously at both of them, his eye twitching.

"_Two weeks in a row_ — you two — damn it, just — God, can you two not go live _somewhere else_? !"

He slammed the door closed. They looked at one another.

Then laughed.

.

.

.

"Alright, you three," Tsunade said, sitting behind her desk, smiling approvingly at the newest members of Konoha. "Your year of probation is up. Seven months of D-Rank missions, and then you're good to go."

Naruto cheered loudly, leaping for joy and tackling Sasuke in a hug. Said man venomously attempted to throw him off, only making the blond include Sakura in his suffocating embrace. She smiled despite trying to bash his skull in. The idiot had gone and made himself important to her over the past year, damn him. Over his shoulder, she locked gazes with Itachi. He wore his usual slanted smirk-smile of amusement. She smiled in return, allowing the blond to get away with hugging her just this once.

.

.

.

"You know how long it's been since we relaxed like this?" Sakura murmured, lying on her back on the roof of the Uchiha Compound, admiring the stars. Itachi lay at her side.

"Hn."

They'd just gotten back an hour or so previous from an A-Rank mission. After reporting to Tsunade and then returning home to clean the blood off and change clothes, they'd clambered up to the roof for a nice, peaceful night of star-gazing. It was becoming increasingly clearer why Shikamaru always laid on ass day in and day out, sleeping or watching the clouds.

Sakura smiled. "You're not still bitter because that Kumo-nin tried to feel me up, are you?"

He grunted passively, inadvertently revealing that he _was_, in fact, still bitter. He'd attempted to murder the man, but Sakura had calmly reminded him — before decking the shameful man — that killing an allied village's shinobi was frowned upon. Ergo, punching him in the face was a much better approach.

She laughed, gripping his hand tightly and grinning up at the stars. "Ne, he wasn't even all that attractive," she remarked playfully. "Rather plain, if you ask me."

He was suddenly hovering over her, the smirk she once despised intact. "Is that so?"

"Yes." She gave him a sly look from beneath her eyelashes. "I prefer men with black hair."

"Hn."

She tipped her head back as his lips latched onto her neck, bring her arms up to rest lightly on his shoulders. He sucked on her pulse.

"Mm, not tonight, Itachi," she murmured, drawing her fingers through his sleek hair. Her neck continued to move of its own accord as he planted a trail of hot kisses. "Are you even listening to me?"

He hummed against her throat, sending delicious tingles down her spine.

"I said not tonight."

He grunted.

"My hair is naturally purple."

He smirked against her skin, warm breath tickling. "No it isn't." Ever so cocky.

"I come from another world."

"Ah."

"Selective hearing, huh?"

"Hn."

His mouth switched to her jaw.

"Then hear this: I'm pregnant."

Silence.

Then:

"Itachi, my child will _not_ be a bastard."

He frowned. "I refuse to allow it," he agreed dryly, pulling back to gaze at her. "My son will bear the Uchiha name."

She paused.

"What makes you so sure that it'll be a boy?"

He smirked.

"My child will be a son."

"Oh, yeah? And what if he has pink hair?"

If Sakura didn't know him any better, she'd say his eye twitched.

"He will _not_ have pink hair."

She grinned.

"We'll see about that."


End file.
